Steal Your Heart
by MewPainappuru
Summary: Kisshu is given the chance to play the hero. She could be his second chance. She could help prove to everyone that he has changed and he is a much better person. Kisshu X OC
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi everyone! This is my first fanfiction, so I'm really hoping I don't disappoint! :) I'm completely open to criticism, so please feel free to make suggestions on what I should change and how I can make this better. I live to please! Please review! I really do want to know what you think. And the sooner you review, the sooner I update! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew. All characters (minus my three new characters, Painappuru, Kinezumi, and Yuki Tora) belong to the producers, creators, and so on.**_

One

A young girl of eighteen, named Painappuru, rubbed sleep from her green-blue eyes. It was two o'clock in the afternoon, but she had just woken up about half an hour ago and was still tired. She was running late to meet up with her two best friends, so she rushed around her room, brushing her blonde hair and putting on a comfortable, yet cute, outfit. She laced up her neon orange Converse sneakers and then made her way downstairs. When she opened her front door, she noticed her friends, Kinezumi and Yuki Tora, already standing on her front lawn, waiting for her. She gave both of them an apologetic smile and a hug.

"I'm so sorry. I overslept and went crazy when I woke up. But at least I'm here." She yawned and then giggled when she saw Kinezumi roll her eyes dramatically. "So where are we going?" she asked Kinezumi, for the brunette was the one who had made the plans in the first place.

"Yuki Tora and I found this adorable little cake shop when we were hanging out last night," Kinezumi answered. Her eyes, which had always been described as looking like cracked ice, shone with excitement. She started walking in the direction of the shop with Yuki Tora and Painappuru following close behind her.

"Yeah, it's actually really nice. The food is awesome," Yuki Tora said with a smile. "And it's not too expensive," she added before Painappuru could use her usual I'm-too-broke-to-do-anything excuse.

Kinezumi nodded. "The only problem with it is it's _really_ pink. Like, almost everything is pink!" There was a trace of teasing annoyance in her voice as she threw her arms up in the air melodramatically.

Painappuru laughed at her friend's theatrics. "How far away is it?" She didn't mind walking, but she was still tired and wasn't exactly in the mood to be walking a far distance.

"It's just around that corner actually," Yuki Tora replied, pointing to the end of the street.

"Oh, so it's not far at all!" Painappuru squinted as she looked up at the sun, which was extremely hot that day. It was nearly a hundred degrees outside and sweat was beginning to form on the girls' foreheads. On top of being tired, the heat was making walking a little unpleasant for Painappuru. She was pleased to know that they would arrive at the café soon.

Kinezumi and Yuki Tora nodded. The girls walked the rest of the way in silence, except for Painappuru humming A.J. Mclean's "I Hate It When You're Gone" quietly. When they turned the corner, they found themselves in front of a large, pink brick building. It looked like a dome-shaped castle with heart shaped windows. A big foliage archway stood in front of the café, welcoming prospective customers.

"Wow, Kinezumi, when you said it was pink, you weren't kidding." Painappuru said in awe. "It's really, _really_ pink."

"I know!" Kinezumi cried. "Who the hell wants to see this much pink every day? It would drive me insane." She smoothed her hair before walking under the arch and towards the café.

Painappuru and Yuki Tora laughed at their friend as they followed her. The three of them walked into the café and sighed in relief as they were suddenly hit by the coldness coming from the air conditioned restaurant. The inside of the café wasn't as pink as the exterior was, but it was still bright and cheery. Instantly, they were greeted by a young girl who looked about ten years old.

"Good morning!" the little girl said cheerfully. "Welcome to Café Mew Mew. Please follow me and I will get you seated." She bounced off and the three friends followed her to a table against the wall. "My name is Pudding and I will be your server." She handed the girls menus. "Look this over and I'll be back in just a little bit to take your orders!" She bounded off to help the next customers.

"She's adorable!" Painappuru exclaimed as she opened her menu. "She looks so cute in her little waitress outfit."

"Yeah, we saw her last time we came," Yuki Tora said. "She didn't serve us though. A much quieter girl did."

"I think she said her name was Lettuce," Kinezumi reminded Yuki Tora.

"I wonder how she got a job at such a young age. _I_ can barely get one!" The fact the she was still unemployed really peeved Painappuru. She contorted her face into one of slight annoyance and she let out a defeated sigh.

"Maybe she is related to the owner or something," Kinezumi said with a shrug as she looked over her own menu. "What are you guys going to get?"

"I don't know. All these cakes sound so yummy," Painappuru sighed. "What to choose… What to choose…"

"Look at this vanilla cake! It looks so good!" Yuki Tora laid her menu flat on the table and showed her friends the picture. She tucked her long black hair behind her ears and grinned in excitement.

"Oh yeah it does!" Kinezumi agreed. "And look! Here's an ice cream cake!" She pointed to a picture on Yuki Tora's menu. "_That's_ what I'm getting. It looks awesome. And ice cream cake had always been my favorite."

"How am I supposed to choose one?" Painappuru whined. She pretended to cry and just stared at her menu.

"Are you ready to order?"

Pudding's voice and sudden appearance made the three girls jump in surprise. Painappuru stopped her fake crying and smiled at the young girl. "I am. What about you guys?" Her friends nodded, repressing their giggles at Painappuru's behavior.

"Wonderful!" Pudding cheered, taking out her notepad that she used to write orders in. "What can I get for you?"

Painappuru ordered a slice of strawberry shortcake and a coffee. Kinezumi ordered a piece the ice cream cake and an iced tea. Yuki Tora ordered a wedge of the vanilla cake she had showed her friends and some hot chocolate. Pudding promised that their food and drinks would be out soon and she left. The girls didn't have to wait long before their cakes and beverages were brought out to them. The girls were very satisfied with their desserts.

"This is amazing!" Painappuru gushed, her mouth full.

"I know!" Yuki Tora agreed. "I love it here. We'll have to come every now and again. Kinezumi and Painappuru bobbed their heads up and down in agreement.

When they finished eating, they thanked Pudding and gave the small girl a generous tip. As the girls were leaving Café Mew Mew, they nearly bumped into a blonde teen who was trying to enter through the door.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry." The girls cried out in unison, stopping in their tracks.

The boy narrowed his eyes at them. "Yeah well, watch where you're going next time," he replied, animosity and disgust dripping from each word. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his white jeans and glared at the girls.

"Well there's no need to be so damn rude," Kinezumi growled. "At lease we apologized." The boy just rolled his eyes and didn't say anything.

"Let's just go," Yuki Tora said, pushing her friends out of the café, not wanting a fight to ensue. She hushed Kinezumi, who was muttering angrily under her voice, and led them away from the café and the irritated teen.

**_I know there isn't too much going on in this chapter. It was mainly to introduce the new characters. But please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update and you'll get more actiony (and soon romance as well) bits! Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!_**

******_Mew Painappuru_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**This is a brithday present to my best friend Kaitlin! :) I promised I'd upload the next chapter as a gift for her, so Kate, hope you enjoy! :D **_

___**princessmiddleast, you were my first review! Yay! You have no idea how excited I got. I am aware that Painappuru is Japanese for Pineapple. That was all intentional. I hope you continue to read on and enjoy.**_

Two

The blonde haired teen watched the three girls walk away until they were out of sight. He sighed and leaned his back against the bright pink building. He couldn't help but feel that there was something slightly strange about those girls. They gave off a vibe he couldn't quite understand. He almost felt like he knew them although he had never seen them before. The feeling was tormenting his heart and was sending shivers down his back. When he had initially looked at them, his blood had run cold. But he couldn't come up with a reason for such strange feelings. He was positive that he had never seen those girls before. He sighed again, shook his head as if to rid himself of the unknown feeling, and walked into the café.

"Welcome back Ryou!" Pudding said cheerfully as she cradled a huge stack of dishes in her arms.

Ryou just gave a curt nod in reply. Normally, he would have scolded her for being so careless with their fine dishes, but his mind was still focused on those girls. He pushed past customers and the other waitresses, trying to get to the café's kitchen. He _needed_ to speak to Keiichiro. He needed the older man's advice and input on these peculiar impressions.

"Is something the matter Ryou?" Keiichiro asked when Ryou entered the kitchen with yet another sigh.

Ryou ran his fingers through his golden hair as he tried to think of how he was going to explain his problem to his friend. "Three girls just left the café. One was blonde, one was a brunette, and the other had black hair and glasses. They were all kind of short. And… I don't know, Keiichiro… There's something weird about these girls. They're giving off really strange vibes. Did you notice them?" He was rambling, something he never did. It was an obvious sign that he was disturbed. He noticed he had goose bumps on his skin, just from thinking about them.

Keiichiro shook his head. "We've been really busy today, so I've been in here the whole time." He put down the bowl he was mixing batter in. "What do you mean by 'strange vibes'? Do you think they are…" His voice trailed off as he searched for the right word.

"Evil?" Ryou offered, leaning against one of the kitchen walls. He was trying to relax and come off as nonchalant, but his efforts were fruitless. He just couldn't shake off the feeling those girls had given him. It was actually starting to make him feel sick to his stomach.

"Evil is a strong word," Keiichiro said calmly, crossing his arms. "But if it is a negative force you're feeling, maybe we should have the Mew Mews investigate."

"Maybe," Ryou shrugged. "I don't know." It had been a year since the last alien attack and the girls were finally used to living their regular lives again. Ryou couldn't help but feel guilty that he might be the cause of them leaving normality behind again.

"When we close up, we'll ask the girls if they know who they were. If they don't we'll figure out what to do from there." Keiichiro picked up his bowl of batter and began mixing again. "Try not to fret over it Ryou."

Ryou scoffed. "I don't 'fret'," he said, moving towards the door of the kitchen.

"Of course not," Keiichiro replied, amusement present in his voice.

Ryou left the kitchen without another word. He was suddenly exhausted from all the thought he was putting into his run-in with those girls. He quietly ascended a flight of stairs and then entered his room. As if he were still a young kid, he flopped onto his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he tried to clear his head. He didn't want to think about those girls any more. And so he closed his eyes and willed sleep to overtake him. Eventually, his wish was granted and he slept until closing time.

**_I apologize for it being so short. I wanted to point out the Ryou had a strange feeling about these girls, but I guess I couldn't really go into as much detail with that as I would have liked. *sigh...* But please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update and you'll get more actiony (and soon romance as well) bits! Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!_**

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	3. Chapter 3

Three

"I still can't believe how rude that guy was," Kinezumi fumed as the girls walked through the park. They had left the café hours ago and spent the rest of their day wondering around town, but Kinezumi still hadn't dropped the subject. She had been ranting on and off about the teen with the cold blue eyes outside of the café. His arrogant attitude had really struck a chord with Kinezumi. She was never one to let people treat her in such a way.

"It's always the cute ones," Painappuru sighed, trying to lighten the mood. She truthfully did think the boy had been cute, but his attitude made turned her off. She hoped that he wasn't a regular at the café because she didn't want to run into him if her and her friends ever went back.

Yuki Tora laughed and nodded. "He sure was cute. If he wasn't such an ass, he'd be perfect." She pushed her glasses up her nose and sighed. "And honestly, I think Kinezumi would have beaten the crap out of that guy if I hadn't pulled her away." She looked at Kinezumi accusingly; Kinezumi just shrugged which caused Painappuru to break out in a fit of giggles.

When Painappuru finally calmed down, the girls continued to walk through the park in comfortable silence. The weather was absolutely perfect, for it had progressively cooled down over the hours since they were in the cafe. Kinezumi turned to her friends to suggest that they stay in the park for a little longer when suddenly, a shriek pierced the air, making the three friends jump. The scream echoed through the park, sounding like something from a horror movie.

"What the hell was that?" Yuki Tora cried, goose bumps appearing on her arms.

"I don't know…" She looked around the park franticly, but no one was around them. "We should go make sure whoever it was is ok!" Painappuru said. She was scared, but if someone was in trouble and they were the only ones around, she knew they had to try and help whoever was in need. Her friends hesitantly agreed.

The girls ran towards the scream, which came from the middle of the park. When they arrived, they froze in shock. Lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, was a young woman. She was sprawled awkwardly on the ground, in a position that suggested she might need an ambulance. Above her, was a creature that looked like a monster from a child's nightmares. It was almost as big as a house and resembled a dog, but with two large horns out of the top of its head. Its fur was blood red and its eyes were black. Enormous teeth protruded from the creature's lower lip. Its low growls seemed to vibrate through the land beneath their feet.

"Oh my God…" Painappuru whispered. She could feel herself starting to shake and she moved closer to her friends. "What is that…?" The creature turned its head, his eyes falling on the three girls and it snarled, giving them a better look at its large, ivory teeth.

"Guys, what are we going to do…?" Kinezumi whimpered. She gripped her friends' arms, leaving impressions from her long fingernails. The beast let out a guttural roar and began walking toward them. Its heavy footsteps made a crashing sound with each step and shook the ground. The girls screamed and starting running in the opposite direction, which only prompted the creature to chase after them.

**_I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update and you'll get more actiony (and soon romance as well) bits! Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!_**

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you for the reviews! They really do make my day! princessmiddleast, I saw that you added this story to your favorite stories list and me to your favorite authors list. Thank you so much. That is such an honor. I'm so happy you enjoy this story. I hope you continue to read it and I hope it continues to please you. Katie, I'm glad you love it! I hope you like this chapter as well. :D**_

Four

"Ichigo! Alien! Alien!" Masha flew around Ichigo's head crying out. "Alien! Alien!"

Ichigo, who had been sitting down to unwind after a hard day of work, grabbed the little robot out of the air and held him up to her face. "An alien? Oh no! We have to tell the others!" With Masha still in her hand, she ran to the back of the café where her friends were changing out of their work uniforms. "Guys, Masha says there's an alien nearby! We have to go!"

Mint groaned. "I was just starting to relax too…"

Ichigo rolled her eyes at the girl's selfishness, then pulled out her gold pendant and cried out "Mew Mew Strawberry, metamorphosis!" Her friends quickly followed suit, each kissing their golden Mew pendants to transform.

"Mew Mew Minto, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Pudding, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Zakuro, metamorphosis!"

The Mew Mew team yelled to Ryou and Keiichiro to tell them that they were investigating an alien attack and that they would be back soon. Then they rushed out the door.

"Where is the alien Masha?" Zakuro asked the little robot.

"This way! This way!" Masha chirped and he flew ahead of the group. The girls followed him, running as fast as they could until they reached the park. They could hear screams from several people from inside. When they finally reached the place in the park where the screaming was coming from, they were shocked to find a huge dog-like creature.

"What is that?" Ichigo cried.

"Is… is it a Chimera Anima?" Lettuce asked, unable to think of any other explanation.

"A Chimera Anima?" Zakuro sounded confused. "But… I thought Kisshu and his kind weren't going to bother us anymore, now that Deep Blue has been destroyed."

Lettuce shrugged. "I thought so too, but perhaps something has happened that changed their minds." She was bothered by this idea and a chill ran down her spine.

"Or maybe they were just lying," Mint spat, always so ready to believe the worst of their former enemies. The group looked around for a sign of one of their old alien rivals, but saw none. However, they did see three girls being chased by the terrible beast.

"Come on! We have to help them!" Pudding exclaimed, pointing at the helpless girls. Her teammates nodded in agreement and ran toward them.

"We're not going to make it!" Mint gasped as she watched the dog closing in on its victims.

The three girls were cornered and the monster was preparing to attack. He lifted a giant paw in the air, and then swung it down to strike them. The girls screamed and then, all of a sudden, a bright, yellow light shone around them. The monster became temporarily blinded, giving the Mew Mews a chance to catch up and attack.

"Mew Lettuce, come with me to make sure those girls are alright. Everyone else, fight off that monster!" Ichigo ordered. Then she grabbed Lettuce's hand and they ran over to the girls. Zakuro, Pudding, and Mint ran up to the monster and began to battle.

When Lettuce and Ichigo reached the three girls, all they could do was stare at the sight in front of them. The yellow glow finally faded away and what it revealed was astonishing. One of the girls had her hands held up in front of her, as if to tell the monster to stop, and right below her thumb on her left hand was a small, strange mark. The second girl had her eyes squeezed shut, her arms pinned to her side, and her head turned away from the monster. At the corner of her right eye, was an odd marking as well. The third girl had her arms around the second girl and her head buried into her friend's shoulder. Down her whole left arm was, yet another, outlandish tattoo. Lettuce and Ichigo knew that these marks could only be those belonging to a Mew Mew.

"Could it be…?" Lettuce asked, puzzled at the situation.

"We have three new members?" Ichigo finished the sentence.

Masha flew over to the girls. "Welcome!" he said happily. The girls opened their eyes and looked up at the fluffy little creature. Masha opened his mouth wide and three golden pendants fell out and onto the ground. "For you!" he chirruped. Each girl picked up a pendant and just stared at it.

"I guess you're a part of our team now," Ichigo said with a warm and welcoming smile.

"Your team?" the blonde asked, startled that these strange girls were addressing her and her friends.

"There isn't much time to explain," Ichigo replied. "You need to transform now!"

"Transform?" the one with black hair and glasses repeated. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Just kiss the pendant," Lettuce instructed. "You'll know what to do. Trust me."

The girl quickly kissed her pendant. "Mew Mew Yuki Tora, metamorphosis!" she yelled. In a flash of bright, silver light, she transformed. When the light died away, the girl's hair had turned a silvery color. She had small, rounded white and black ears poking through her hair and a long white and black stripped tail. A sheath was strapped around her waist and her glasses had disappeared.

"Oh my God! Yuki Tora!" the other two girls yelled.

Yuki Tora spun around in amazement. "This is… incredible…" Her long tail flicked in excitement, making Yuki Tora giggle.

"There's no time to waste!" Ichigo yelled, interrupting their fascination. "Transform you two!" The other two girls nodded and quickly kissed their pendants, just as their friend had.

"Mew Mew Kinezumi, metamorphosis!" The petite brunette was enveloped in darkness for a few seconds. However, when it disappeared, she had changed as well. Her hair had turned jet black and had two, little pointed ears, sticking out of it. She also had a bushy black tail.

"Mew Mew Painappuru, metamorphosis!" the blonde called out. A neon orange light wrapped itself around her, just as it had happened with her friends. When she reappeared, her hair had turned orange. She had little white ears poking through her hair as well as small horns. She had also acquired a little white tail. "Amazing!" Painappuru squealed.

"Welcome to the Mew Mew team," Lettuce said sweetly.

"We'll explain everything when we finish defeating this monster," Ichigo said. "Come on." Kinezumi, Yuki Tora, and Painappuru looked at each other, shrugged, figuring they had nothing to lose, and then ran after Lettuce and Ichigo.

Mint, Pudding, and Zakuro had the monster nearly beaten. It was clearly stronger than the Chimera Animas the Mew Mews were used to fighting, but it didn't look like it could stand much more.

"This is a perfect time for you to try out your powers. Go ahead." Ichigo said to her new teammates.

"I've got this," Kinezumi said, stepping forward with sudden confidence. In the back of her mind, a voice was telling her she didn't know what she was doing. But a feeling inside of her heart told her otherwise. As she had done with her pendant, she trusted what her heart was telling her and did as it told her to. She jumped into the air, spun once, and then landed with a mace in her hand. "Sweet," she said with an impish grin. She leaped up into the air once again and yelled, "Ribbon Kinezumi Smash!" The mace glowed with a blue black light and Kinezumi swung it at the beast. It made contact and the beast howled in agony. He staggered a bit as Kinezumi landed.

"My turn!" Painappuru called out eagerly. She spun around once and concentrated on wanted to defeat the monster. When she stopped spinning, a pan flute appeared in her hand. She shouted, "Ribbon Painappuru Song!" and brought the instrument to her lips. Beautiful music was emitted from the flute and the monster growled, covering its ears. Whatever melody she was playing, was clearly harmful for it to hear. As she played, a light orange light glowed around the girl. She stopped playing and beamed. "I think only beings with goodness in their hearts can stand to listen to my music," she explained. She wasn't exactly sure how she knew that to be true, but she believed it nonetheless. It just felt right.

"I guess I should try now," Yuki Tora said. She grabbed the hilt of the weapon around her waist and pulled it from its cover, revealing a stunning sword. "Cool…" She leapt into the air and yelled, "Ribbon Yuki Tora Strike!" She sunk the sword into the creature's side and it wailed. She removed the sword and landed on the ground next to her friends. She was surprised to see that the sword still looked perfect. There was not a single stain or scratch. It was as if it had never been used.

"Great job everyone!" Ichigo said. "Mew Lettuce, shall we finish it off?"

Lettuce nodded. She pulled out her castanets and starting clapping them. Then she pressed her hands together, did a little spin and yelled, "Ribbon Lettuce Rush!" A wave of water crashed into the monster, blinding him from Ichigo's attack.

"Strawberry Bell!" Ichigo's heart shaped, bell weapon appeared and she lined it up with the charm on her glove. It glowed and she flew into the air. She twirled a few times then held the Strawberry Bell over her head. "Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!" she cried. Power shot from the bell and hit the beast, causing it to finally fall over. It hit the ground with a _THUD_ then exploded into sparkly dust.

"What was that thing?" Painappuru asked.

"We're not really sure," Lettuce replied.

"We need to go speak with Keiichiro and Ryou," Zakuro added.

"And we need to officially meet our new friends!" Pudding cheered.

"We can do introductions once we get back to the café," Ichigo said. She then turned to her new teammates. "But I want to congratulate you. All three of you did a wonderful job for your first fight. Welcome to the Mew Mew team!" She smiled at them and then instructed at everyone revert back. The girls quickly changed back into their normal selves and ran to café.

_** I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thanks (as always) to princessmiddleast for your wonderful support and encouraging comments. It means a lot that you are still following this story.**_

Five

"Keiichiro! Ryou! We're back!" Ichigo called as the group entered the café. She smiled warmly at the team's new members. "You're going to love being part of this team. We're all like one big family."

"Wonderful," Ryou said as he walked down the steps. "I needed to speak to-" He stopped at the sight of Painappuru, Yuki Tora, and Kinezumi. "What are _they_ doing here?" he spat, gesturing to the girls.

"Don't be rude to our new friends!" Pudding said, crossing her arms angrily. She scooted closer to Kinezumi, almost as if to protect her.

"Where is Keiichiro?" Ichigo asked, thrown off by Ryou's terrible attitude.

"I'm right here," Keiichiro said, emerging from the kitchen. "What is going on?"

"A lot actually," Mint said with a bored expression on her face. She sat down on one of the chairs and sighed.

"We found three new members," Zakuro said making a motion in the girls' direction, "as well as a new creature."

"New members _and_ a new creature?" Keiichiro repeated, confused, but intrigued.

"Don't tell me they are the new members," Ryou said bluntly. Painappuru and Yuki Tora blushed at Ryou's obvious disappointment. Kinezumi bit her lip, holding back an angry retort.

"As a matter of fact they are!" Ichigo replied, also getting angry at Ryou's discourtesy.

"Ryou, you seem troubled," Keiichiro said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Remember the girls I told you about earlier?" He glared at Yuki Tora, Painappuru, and Kinezumi.

"I take it these are the girls?" Keiichiro concluded and Ryou simply nodded. "Well, perhaps the energy you were feeling from them was their power as Mew Mews."

Ryou raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Maybe…"

"Welcome to the team girls," Keiichiro said, going to shake each girls' hand. "My name is Keiichiro and I aid Ryou in the Mew Project. I also run the kitchen here at the café. Ryou over there is the one in charge of the Mew Project and the owner of Café Mew Mew."

"My name is Kinezumi. These are my best friends, Yuki Tora and Painappuru." The brunette said with a shy smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you ladies. If you don't mind me asking, what animals are you infused with?" The girls just stared at him in confusion. Keiichiro noticed their bewilderment and kindly explained. "For example, Ichigo is infused with Iriomote Cat. That's why she has the tail and the ears. What animal DNA do you hold?"

"Oh…" they said in unison.

"Well, I think I'm a… a squirrel," Kinezumi said. "A black squirrel at that."

"A black squirrel? How fascinating. I bet it makes a wonderful Mew Mew."

"I think I'm a snow tiger," Yuki Tora stated proudly.

"What a beautiful animal."

"And… I…" A deeper blush spread across Painappuru's face. "I'm… I'm a goat!" she blurted. Painappuru wasn't exactly ashamed of her animal infusion, but everyone else seemed to have such unique animals that she couldn't help but feel a little flustered at being different. Mint snickered behind her hand, but then stopped when she received a glare from her fellow teammates.

"And I'm sure you are a lovely little goat," Keiichiro said, flashing a bright smile. Painappuru's eyes widen and she whispered a thank you.

"Let's talk about this new enemy you fought today," Ryou interjected, not wanting to spend any more time talking about the new members that he was so displeased with.

"We don't think it was a Chimera Anima," Lettuce said. "And if it was, we didn't see any aliens nearby."

"Are you sure you didn't see anyone?" Ryou questioned them. "Is it possible that you were so wrapped up with dealing with… them," he indicated Painappuru, Yuki Tora, and Kinezumi, "that you didn't notice one of the aliens nearby?" The team nodded their heads.

"Um, I have a question," Yuki Tora said quietly.

"Yes, Yuki Tora?" Keiichiro said, turning to her.

"What's a Chimera Anima?"

By the time the team finished explaining to Yuki Tora, Kinezumi, and Painappuru about the Chimera Animas, the Mew Project, and their new jobs at Café Mew Mew, it was very late at night. The girls said goodbye to Keiichiro and Ryou then went their separate ways home.

**_ I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!_**

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**As always, thanks to the wonderful princessmiddleast for reviewing and encouraging me on. You rock! :)**_

Six

Two months passed by without any alien attacks. The Mew Mews were starting to get comfortable with the thought that the last attack would be the only one. Lettuce had suggested that it had been a left over Chimera Anima. They decided that they didn't need to worry anymore and they went on with their normal lives. They worked at the café during the day and then hung out later in the evening before going home.

One night, Ichigo had announced to the team that she was going away on a trip with her boyfriend, Masaya. They were going on a small road trip to spend some much needed time together. Everyone was sad to see Ichigo leave, but she promised she would be home soon. She also told them that if anything happened involving the Mew Mews, such as another random alien attack, to call her so she can try and get home as soon as possible. Then, before she left, she made one more, shocking announcement.

Ichigo wanted to appoint a temporary new leader for the Mew Mew Team. Instantly, Mint suggested that Zakuro be the new leader because "she is older and more mature". But Ichigo had a different idea. Instead, she said she wanted Painappuru to lead the group. At first, everyone though Ichigo was being crazy, but then Zakuro agreed with her. She told the group that she was also going to be leaving soon for a while. She had been asked to participate in a fashion week down in Hawaii.

Zakuro explained that she was close to losing her job as a model and she needed to be in this show to convince her agent that she was still serious. Zakuro wasn't ready to let go of stardom and as much as she loves the Mew Mew, she loved being a celebrity too. She pointed out the after her, Painappuru was the oldest and, most likely, more mature one. Ichigo agreed, adding that within the time they had spent together, Painappuru had proven that she was level-headed and fair and very strong, both mentally and physically. Ichigo believed these to be great qualities of a leader.

Mint was hysterical that Zakuro was leaving. Painappuru was in shock that this responsibility was suddenly being thrown at her. Pudding, Zakuro, and Lettuce comforted Mint while Ichigo, Kinezumi, and Yuki Tora convinced Painappuru that she would do a great job as leader. Painappuru hesitantly accepted Ichigo's decision and promised to do her best to take care of the team. Ichigo also left Masha in Painappuru's care.

The next day, Painappuru's first day as the leader of the Mew Mews, Painappuru, Kinezumi, and Yuki Tora were walking together to the café for work. Masha floated in the air above the girls' heads. Yuki Tora and Kinezumi could tell that their friend was nervous, so they didn't bring the topic up. They made small talk and Painappuru was thankful for her friends' attempt to make her less tense. She tried looking on the positive side. The chances of an alien attack while Ichigo was away were small. Perhaps she wouldn't have to display her leadership skills, or lack of them.

When they arrived at Café Mew Mew, they were cheerfully greeted by Keiichiro and Lettuce. They were told that Zakuro had left that morning for Hawaii, so she wasn't in either. Then they went into the back room, where they could change into their uniforms. Painappuru's outfit was neon orange, Yuki Tora's was a silvery color, and Kinezumi's was black. Once they were in their uniforms, they joined their teammates in getting the café ready to open.

Just as Ryou was about to unlock the doors, Masha zoomed into the room crying out "Alien! Alien!"

"An alien?" Lettuce said. "But we're just about to open the Café."

"I'd rather have fun fighting some alien then waiting on snobby, greedy cake eaters." Mint said, crossing her arms.

Kinezumi glared at Mint. "You don't do any work to start with!" Mint shrugged off Kinezumi's comment.

"Girls, now is not the time to argue," Keiichiro said. "Please, transform and go see about that alien. Ryou and I can manage the café just fine." The girls nodded, kissed their pendants and transformed.

"Mew Mew Minto, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Pudding, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Yuki Tora, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Kinezumi, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Painappuru, metamorphosis!"

The six Mew Mews quickly said good-bye to the boys and they rushed off to find the alien. As they followed Masha, Painappuru was silently begging for Masha's sensors to be wrong. She wasn't ready to lead the Mew Mews. She had no idea what to do. She agonized over the situation until they reached the mall. Masha led them inside to complete chaos.

People were running and screaming wildly. Three giant, black snakes slithered across the floor of the mall, finding shoppers, constricting them, and then biting them. The bitten people's skin turned a sickly blue color and they were left on the ground unconscious.

"The snakes must have some sort of venom in them," Lettuce said to her team members.

"We've got to keep them away from the shoppers," Painappuru mused aloud. "And don't get bitten yourself," she added after a little more though. "It looks like we are going to need all the power we can get." Her friends nodded in agreement and understanding. Painappuru inhaled deeply, pulling together enough courage to seem like a good leader. It was not the time to be nervous. "Alright, let's split up into three groups of two. Mew Mint and Mew Kinezumi, you two go together. Mew Yuki Tora and Mew Lettuce, you pair up. Mew Pudding, you're with me."

"Hooray!" Pudding cheered and she bounded to Painappuru's side.

She then turned to the lovable little robot that was floating right beside her. "Masha, go back to Café Mew Mew where you will be safe." Masha obeyed her and zoomed off. "Alright everyone, be careful. Yell if you need any help. Let's go!" The team split up into their pairs and went to attack the snakes. "Mew Pudding, distract the snake while I try and move the people it attacked away from any more harm," Painappuru instructed as they approached their enemy.

"You got it boss!" Pudding replied.

Painappuru blushed at being called "boss", but quickly got to work moving the unconscious shoppers to the side where they would not get hurt. As she did so, she yelled to the other people to find somewhere safe to hide and to stay out of the way of the Mew Mews.

"Pudding Ring!" Pudding called out, summoning her weapon as she summersaulted through the air. She landed, throwing the ring around, and then separated it into two rings. She shook them, making the little bells jingle. Then, she yelled, "Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!" The snake creature was instantly enclosed in a giant pudding desert.

"Wonderful job Mew Pudding," Painappuru said, joining her partner. Painappuru was just about to summon her flute when the snake broke through the pudding trap. It swayed its head violently then hissed in rage. It looked down at Pudding and Painappuru. It flicked it's thick, black tongue at the girls and then lunged toward Pudding.

"No!" Painappuru screamed. She jumped in front of Pudding, blocking the attack and braced herself for the bite.

**_I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!_**

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thanks to princessmiddleast for your constant encouragement. It means a lot. And the romance is coming up! I promise. I know it's taking a while, but the next chapter will be the beginning of the romantic parts of the story. So hopefully they will be to your satisfaction. I personally always get more into a story when the romantic plot begins to form, so I hope that it will make the story more enjoyable for you as well. So look out for the next chapter!**_

Seven

There was nothing but silence. Pudding felt tears well up as she figured she was probably dead. She slowly opened her eyes and was surprised when she found that she was still in the mall. The snake creature was gone; only sparkly dust covered the floor. The shoppers around her were staring in what seemed to be shocked silence. Pudding looked beside her, expecting to see Painappuru. But Painappuru wasn't there. Pudding franticly turned around, looking for her friend, but only saw Mint, Kinezumi, Yuki Tora, and Lettuce running over to her.

"You defeated your monster? Wonderful!" Lettuce said.

"Where's Mew Painappuru?" Kinezumi asked, looking around.

"I… I don't know…" Pudding said in a scared, quiet voice.

"But, wasn't she fighting next to you?" Mint asked.

Pudding nodded. "But then the snake tried to bite me, so I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, she was gone."

"Gone…?" Yuki Tora repeated, stunned. "She can't just disappear! We have to find her!" She looked over at Kinezumi, whose face was full of concern for her best friend.

"Let's start looking around the mall," Lettuce said, taking charge of the group.

"If she is shopping at a time like this…" Mint muttered.

"She's not!" Kinezumi growled. "Mew Painappuru wouldn't do that! She wouldn't scare us like this!"

"Everybody, let's try to calm down," Lettuce said. "Let's look around and if we don't see her, we'll call Keiichiro and Ryou." They all nodded in agreement to the plan and split up to search the mall for their missing friend.

Mint and Lettuce looked on the bottom floor while Kinezumi, Yuki Tora, and Pudding searched the top floor. They checked all the stores, dressing rooms, bathrooms, and eateries. Painappuru was nowhere to be found. They even asked the few people who were still in the mall if they had seen her. No one had. They regrouped and decided it was time to call Keiichiro and Ryou.

Lettuce pulled out her cellphone and hit the second speed dial. "Hello Keiichiro," she said when it stopped ringing. "We have a terrible situation here."

"What's the matter Lettuce?" Keiichiro asked on the other end.

"Mew Painappuru has disappeared. We can't find her anywhere in the mall and no one has seen her." She felt worried tears start to well in her eyes and she bit her bottom lip to keep them from falling.

"Disappeared? Just a minute Lettuce." There was silence for a minute then he came back and said, "Ryou is here as well. Tell us what happened."

Lettuce told them about the snake monsters and how Painappuru had split them up to make fighting faster. She told them how Pudding had shut her eyes to brace herself to be attacked and then noticed Painappuru was gone when she opened them again.

"This is really strange," Ryou said when Lettuce finished clarifying everything.

Lettuce could hear rapid typing coming from their end. She figured Keiichiro was doing something on the computer. "What should we do?" she asked helplessly.

"Come back to the café," Ryou said. "It's obvious she's not there. Come back here and then meet us in the basement so we can all discuss this and figure everything out." With that, he hung up.

Lettuce turned to her team. "We need to go back to the café. Ryou and Keiichiro want to talk to us."

The group nodded and then started running from the mall back to Café Mew Mew. It didn't take long for them to get there. They reverted to their human forms and then rushed down the basement. Keiichiro was sitting down, typing away furiously on the computer. Ryou stood beside him, observing. When the girls entered the room, Ryou turned around.

"We have some good news," he said.

"What is it?" they all cried with excitement.

"Painappuru is alive." Everyone let out a sigh of relief. "The transmitter in her Mew pendent tells us that she is, in fact alive. However, we haven't been able to tell where exactly she is or whether or not she's safe."

"But we are working on it," Keiichiro said without turning away from the computer. "Don't worry. We'll bring her back."

"In the meantime," Ryou continued, "we think it would be best that we get a hold of Ichigo and ask her to come home. We can't afford to be short so many Mew Mews. If there is another attack, you might need more help. And when we find out where Painappuru is, we are going to need all of you."

"What about Zakuro?" Mint asked. "Should she return as well?"

"She _should_," Ryou said, "but whether or not she will or can is a whole other matter. She _is_ all the way in Hawaii. I don't know if we will be able to get a hold of her. And if we can, I'm not exactly positive that she will be able to come back anyway." He sighed. "One of you please just call Ichigo and ask her to come back."

"Why don't you call her?" Mint asked, crossing her arms. "Why do we have to tell her?"

Ryou grinned. "You think I want to be the one to break it to her she has to cancel her 'romantic road trip' after one day? No chance in Hell." He winked at the girls. "You guys can be the ones to break her heart and potentially piss off her boyfriend."

**_ I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!_**

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Princessmiddleast, not only do I have to, once again, thank you for your encouraging reviews, but you've also suggested my story to other people. Thank you a million times! It means so much to me to have such a loyal reader! You're awesome! And I know that I said I was going to upload this tomorrow, but I got bored and couldn't wait anymore. Here's the beginning of the romance you've been waiting for, so enjoy! James Birdsong, thank you! I hope you continue to read and enjoy! strangestoriesniki14, princessmiddleast is such a sweetheart! And thank you for the sweet comment. I'm glad you enjoyed this story. I hope you continue to read.**_

Eight

He gently transferred her from his protective arms to a cushy bed. Then, he pulled a warm blanket over her. Satisfied, he went to the other side of the bed and sat down beside her. He sighed and looked over at her placid face. She certainly was cute. Like a little doll that one would put on display for everyone to gush about. He smiled at the thought of just keeping her around to show off. But when she sighed in her sleep, his selfish thoughts melted away. She looked so innocent. And he _was_ really trying to change.

"People are not playthings," he muttered to himself. He had learned his lesson and he had suffered greatly from it. He wasn't about to make that mistake again. "Maybe…" he said quietly to himself."Maybe she can be my second chance. My opportunity to redeem myself. To prove to myself and everyone else that I _can_ change." He grinned. "Maybe…"

Exhausted, he lied down on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He realized that the consequences for his actions were definitely going to be interesting. He couldn't wait to hear what his comrades had to say about this if they were to ever find out. He planned for it to stay a secret though. He didn't need them making his life more difficult than it already was. He glanced to the side, taking another peek at her. He sighed. If everything went the way he hoped they would, any consequences would be worth it.

His eyelids started to droop and he was just about ready to surrender to sleep when he felt a sudden warmness at his side. He opened his eyes to see that the girl had snuggled against him in her sleep. A pleased smile spread across his face. He turned slightly and pulled the girl into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and then drifted off to sleep.

He awoke when he felt stirring beside him. He realized she was waking up and he suddenly was worried about what he should do. He began to fret about whether or not he should keep his arms around her or not. Should he pretend to still be sleeping? Should he even still be in the bed? Nothing had happened, of course, but would she believe him? Sweat formed above his brow and he wished he could shake the nervousness. He kept his arms around her and looked up at the ceiling. He concentrated on trying to control his breathing so it wasn't so obvious that he was so edgy.

She whimpered as she woke, and buried her face into his chest. Then she slowly lifted her head. He wasn't looking at her, but when he heard her gasp, he turned to her. Her bright, eyes were a soft orange color and they stared at him with a mixture of fear and enthrallment.

"Please," he pleaded, before she could say anything, "please don't scream."

She slowly reached out a hand and stroked one of his long, pointed ears. A shiver ran down his back at her touch. His ears were so sensitive and her touch was starting to arouse him a bit. Her sunset colored eyes never looked away from his honey ones. "You're… not human, are you?" she asked in a faraway voice.

"No…" he whispered.

She nodded, expecting that answer and removed her hand from his ear. He couldn't help but wish that she would resume her gentle caressing. "A… An Alien… Are you the one who sent those creatures?"

"No! No… I didn't send that creature. I have no idea where it came from, I swear."

Her already rosy cheeks reddened. "I wasn't going to scream," she said, changing the subject. "Unless, of course, you tried something…"

"Uh… right…" He removed his arm from around her body and she scooted away from him and then sat up. He was surprised she was acting so calm and relaxed.

She ran her fingers through her orange hair that stopped just below her shoulders. Then she looked around the room in amazement. She then turned back to him. "So… who are you? And why am I in your room? What's going on here?"

"You were in danger and I saved you," he replied. "You were fighting some giant snake creature and it almost attacked you. So I jumped in and brought you here to safety."

A look of panicked realization came across her face. "Oh my God! Pudding! And the other Mew Mews! What if they are in danger? I have to help them!"

She jumped out of the bed just as he said, "You can't! You're not-" As soon as her feet hit the floor, she collapsed into a heap on the ground. He got out of bed and went over to assist her. "You're not ready for travel yet," he said, picking her up and holding her bridal style. "You're too weak."

"But… my friends… What if they are in danger?" she repeated, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I'm sure they're fine," he assured her and he placed her back on the bed. "Before we departed, I got rid of that monster you were fighting."

"You did?" she asked in amazement. He nodded and she whispered, "Thank you…"

"Why do you look so sad?" he asked, noticing the melancholy look on her face.

"What's your name?" she asked, ignoring his question. She didn't want to think about how she so obviously failed at being the leader Ichigo expected her to be. She was away from her team now with no way of knowing if they were ok.

He sighed. "My name is Kisshu."

The girl raised an eyebrow and looked amused. "Is this a joke?"

Confused, Kisshu just said, "What?"

"Your name is Kisshu? That sounds a lot like 'kiss you'. Is that your witty way of trying to make a move?"

Kisshu laughed. "Not at all. My name really is Kisshu. But, if it is any consolation, you may call me Kish."

"Kish," she repeated. "It's cute. I like it. It fits you. My name is Painappuru." She paused then asked, "When will I be able to travel again? I need to make sure my friends are ok."

Kisshu bit his bottom lip. "It's hard to say. It depends on how fast your body can recuperate. Although, I know of a great way to help, if you are interested."

"Absolutely," Painappuru said, excitedly.

Kisshu motioned for her to come closer to her. She slowly slid across the bed until she was next to him. Then, suddenly, he lifted her into his arms and held her tightly to him. Her cheeks flushed as she was pressed up against him. "Hold tight now," he whispered into her little, white goat ear. Painappuru wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head into his torso.

Suddenly, there was an unbelievable heaviness pressing down on every inch of her body. Her chest was tight and she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. Tears started to form from the compression and the slight pain. It felt as if it was going to last forever. For a moment, she couldn't help but wonder if Kisshu was trying to kill her instead of help her. And then, it was over. She could breathe again and there was no more enormous weight on her body. She looked up at Kisshu, who was giving her an apologetic look.

"Transporting is really difficult the first couple of times. I'm sorry."

"It's… ok…" Painappuru said, trying to catch her breath. "Is that how I got hurt the first time?"

Kisshu nodded. "I transported you out of the way of the snake and brought you back here. But the trip really took a toll on you. I wasn't thinking…"

Painappuru placed her hand on his cheek. "It's ok Kish… Really. Thank you for saving me."

Kisshu just smiled. "Look here," he said, gesturing with his chin to the distance.

Painappuru turned her head and gasped. They were standing in front of a huge waterfall with sparkling blue water. It looked like something out of a fantasy painting. Painappuru half expected to see unicorns grazing somewhere nearby. "We're not on Earth anymore, are we?"

"No," Kisshu said, walking closer to the waterfall. "We're on my planet. It was the first place I could think of taking you when I was trying to save you. I hope that's ok."

"It's gorgeous…"

"It took a long time, but we finally restored it to the way it used to be so long ago. Once again, our planet is healthy and beautiful. We have pride in our home once more…" He stepped into the water. "It's kind of cold," he warned her. "But this water has healing properties. If I bring you here on a regular basis, you should recover quickly." He slowly lowered her into the water then sat down next to her.

As soon as Painappuru hit the water, she was transformed back into her normal self. Kisshu explained that it was most likely because the water's powers worked better when she was in that form. The water was cold, but not unbearably. Painappuru shivered a bit, but she could literally feel the water working its magic on her, making her body feel better. She sighed contently and relaxed, leaning her head against Kisshu's shoulder.

"So, you're a Mew Mew…" Kisshu said, rather awkwardly.

"Yeah," Painappuru replied. "How do you know about the Mew Mews?"

"We have a bit of a history," he said vaguely. "I came down to, uh, visit them when I saw you fighting. I didn't know they got a new member."

"There are three new members actually. My two best friends found out that they are Mew Mews too."

"Oh… Well, I haven't really, uh, been in contact with anyone on the team in for a long time so… I didn't know. But I saw you with the others so, I figured that you had joined the team."

"Well, now you know me. And, hopefully, we'll still stay in contact when I return to Earth."

"You want to stay in contact with me?" Kisshu inquired, sounding surprised.

"Of course," Painappuru said, removing her head from his shoulder so she could look him in the eye. "I like you. You saved my life and you're caring for me. I don't want to lose a friend like you."

Kisshu felt balminess spread throughout his chest. Her words warmed him and left him feeling speechless. He wasn't sure how to respond to such kindness. He wasn't used to being talked to in such a way.

"You're blushing," Painappuru whispered into his ear.

Kisshu put a hand on each of her cheeks and stared into her eyes. Then, before she had time to react, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. It was a short kiss, but it was full of sweetness. When Kisshu pulled away from her, he gathered her into his arms. "Now _you're_ blushing."

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**As always, a huge, huge thank you to princessmiddleast for still sticking with this story and giving me feedback each time. It means more than you know! Thank you so much!**_

Nine

"He is going to cause a lot of trouble," Pai muttered as he transported back into his room. He had just gone to the waterfalls for a relaxing soak, when he noticed Kisshu was already there with a strange girl. Curious as to who the girl was, Pai had hidden behind some trees and listened to them talk. Pai was furious to learn that he had snatched the girl from Earth and brought her back here. And she was a Mew Mew! Of course! Pai couldn't say that he was surprised that Kisshu got mixed up with the Mew Mews again, but he was furious about it. They had been living so peacefully and now Kisshu was going to make a mess of everything. Pai had left after he saw them kiss. He needed to think of some kind of plan to get rid of the girl. A knock sounded on his door, making Pai jump. He quickly composed himself before his visitor walked into the room.

"Hey Pai, whatcha doing?" Taruto asked, shutting the door behind him. "Isn't it time for our lesson?"

Once their planet had returned to its old, healthy self again, Taruto had been enrolled in school. However, Taruto wasn't interested in his school work and was constantly slacking off. So, Pai was hired as Taruto's private tutor to keep him on track. Every day, Taruto would come to Pai's room for a lesson. They never spoke of the work they used to do together when employed by Deep Blue. In fact, they both acted as if they barely knew each other. They were the same way with Kisshu as well. The three of them had decided to go their separate ways and live their own lives. They did not want to dwell on the past.

Pai groaned and rubbed his temples with his index fingers. He had been so caught up in Kisshu's affairs that he had completely forgotten about Taruto and hadn't planned a lesson for the day. "Um," he said, for once not having something intelligent to say.

"What's the matter Pai? Are you ill? If you can't teach today, I understand."

"I apologize, Tart," Pai said with a sigh. "It seems that I just have too much on my mind and got sidetracked. I have not prepared a lesson."

Taruto grinned. "That's alright! Does that mean I have the day off?"

"I suppose so," Pai said with another sigh.

Taruto turned to leave, but realized that something was really bothering his old friend. He walked over to the older man and placed a small hand on his shoulder. "Is everything ok Pai? I can see that something is bothering you. You can tell me what it is. Maybe I can help."

Pai smiled at the child. It wasn't often Taruto showed a sensitive side. He was usually goofing off or trying to get out of doing his work. It was nice to see a change in his attitude. "I do not think there is really anything you can help with Tart. But thank you for the offer. Besides, it concerns something, er, someone I do not think you necessarily want to get involved with again."

Taruto blushed as his thoughts wandered to Pudding, the little monkey girl he had met when he was working for Deep Blue. He had developed a little crush on her then (not that he would ever admit to it), but could never act upon his feelings. When they left Earth for the final time, it hurt Taruto to know that he would never see Pudding's joyful face ever again. He would never hear her call him Taru Taru ever again. It had all taken a surprising toll on Taruto.

Pai shook his head. "I just, I do not know what to do about this whole situation. I do not even know if I _should_ do anything about it."

"Please, tell me what's going on!" Taruto begged. He was actually _desperate_ for news about Pudding. Maybe Pai would even let him join in on the plans. Then, he might get a chance to see Pudding again. That would be overwhelmingly perfect.

Pai shook his head again. "I do not want to concern you."

Taruto furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what is bothering you. I want to know! Tell me now God dammit!"

"You need to leave now Tart," Pai said harshly, walking over to his bookshelf and selecting a heavy book.

"No!" Taruto yelled. He stamped his foot like the child he was and prepared himself to scream himself hoarse. "Tell me! I swear I won't leave until I know what is going on!"

Pai realized that Taruto was very serious. He would keep this fight up forever if he had to. He put the book back on the shelf and turned to face the alien child. "Are you sure? It is a secret Tart. You cannot tell anyone."

"I promise I won't tell," Taruto said. "I really won't. Please just tell me."

"I saw Kisshu today and-"

"Oh," Taruto interrupted, sounding disappointed. It wasn't about Pudding after all…

"You did not let me finish," Pai said rather sternly. "Not only did I see Kisshu, but I saw him with a human girl. And, further still, the boy had the audacity to bring a Mew Mew to our planet."

Taruto's eyes widen in shock. "A… a Mew Mew?" He prayed that it was Pudding. He would give so much to see her again, even if she was with Kisshu. Perhaps he was hurting her. Then he would be able to save her. She would consider him his hero and maybe reward him with a kiss. Taruto's face reddened at these thoughts.

"We need to get rid of her," Pai said, snapping Taruto from his thoughts.

"Right," he agreed. "We need to get her off of our planet. We've left their home alone so they need to do the same with ours."

Pai nodded. "Not to mention, if anyone else sees her, it is highly plausible that it will cause chaos."

"What should we do?" Taruto asked.

Pai sighed. "That is where I am confounded. I am unsure, for once, about what tactic we should use."

"Well, do you think the other Mews know that this one is here?"

Pai raised an impressed eyebrow at the child. "I never even thought to start there. Well done, Tart. I believe we need to make a visit to a particular little café back on Earth. Are you prepared?"

"Yeah!" Taruto said excitedly. "Let's do this!"

"You, of course, realize that when we return, we are going to have to work hard to catch you up on any work that you miss, right?"

Taruto groaned. "Aw come on! Do we have to?"

_** I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	10. Chapter 10

_**For everyone who reviewed, all I can say is thank you so much. It means more than you guys know when you tell me how much you love my story. It truly makes my day. You guys are the best! **__**As always, thank you so much princessmiddleast for your comments and encouragment. I never really liked Pai either, but just wait, he's going to get a lot worse. O_O Red-Diamond123, it would be so awesome if this was turned into an episode! That was one of the greatest compliments I've ever gotten. Thank you so much! Ichigo is going to have to find out about Kisshu and Painappuru eventually. How do you think she's going to take it? I'm glad you've enjoyed this story so far. I hope it continues to please you. strangestoriesniki14, you're compliments are so sweet. And they mean so much to me! Thank you so, so much! I'm certainly interested in what your story is about, so I'm going to check it out. Hope you continue to enjoy!**_

Ten

"It will be ok, Ichigo," Masaya said, patting the red head's back soothingly. "I'm sure Painappuru is fine."

"But what if she's not?" Ichigo wailed, tears spilling over cheeks. "If anything terrible has happened to her, it will have been entirely my fault because I just left. I'll never forgive myself!" She slammed her fist on one of the café tables, making her friends all jump.

"You mustn't think like that," Masaya said, trying to console the hysterical girl. She had been so calm on the drive back to the café, but as soon as she had walked in and saw her friends, Ichigo had lost it and broke down. Masaya wished he could do more to comfort her, but he was clueless as to what to say or do.

"Listen to him," Keiichiro agreed. "Masaya is right, Ichigo. This is no one's fault. No one expected it to happen and as far as we are concerned, there is nothing anyone could have done to prevent it. All we can do is work hard to figure out how to bring Painappuru back safely."

Ichigo sniffed and wiped the tears from her face. She noticed that Lettuce, Kinezumi, Pudding, Yuki Tora, and even Mint also had tears in their eyes. They were all upset about Painappuru's disappearance. She looked up at Masaya, who gave her a reassuring smile. Keiichiro looked so confident that they would succeed in finding her. Even Ryou had a smile on his face. Masha flew over to Ichigo and nuzzled against her damp cheek, trying to bring solace to her. She sighed and stood up.

"Feel better?" Masaya asked, putting an arm around her waist.

"Yes, a little bit," she said, leaning into him. She smiled at her friends. They were counting on her, their leader, to be strong at a time like this. If she was a mess, who did they have to look to for direction? "We'll bring her back," she assured, not only her team, but herself. "I know we can do it."

"You just might need our help with that," a voice sounded from behind the group.

They all turned around to see Pai and Taruto. No one moved. They were shocked to see their old enemies standing in the café. Neither of them had changed at all. Ichigo couldn't help but wonder where Kisshu was and why he wasn't with these two. Then, all of a sudden, Pudding ran forward and pulled Taruto into a hug.

"Taru Taru!" she cheered. "You've come back to visit! I've missed you so much!"

Taruto's cheeks flushed and he gave Pudding a swift hug back. "Hello Pudding," he said in a quiet voice. "I wish I was here to play and have fun. But we have something very important to talk to you about." He never knew how much he would miss her cheery voice calling him by that awful nickname. It was as if a cavity in his heart had been filled. He was warmed by the sight of her delightful, overjoyed face.

"What could it be Taru Taru? Are you alright?"

"We know where your friend is," Pai said calmly. "And I assure you that, for now, she is safe."

Unsure of the meaning behind Pai's words, Pudding backed up from Taruto. She looked at him with eyes full of grief. She hoped that Taruto hadn't done anything to hurt her friend. Taruto knew that Pudding was afraid, but he didn't want her to be. He reached his hand out to her to assure that he was on her side and meant no harm, but she only backed away further. And just like that, the emptiness in his heart returned. He couldn't be happy if Pudding was upset with him.

"What do you mean 'for now'?" Ichigo demanded. "Where is Painappuru? What have you bastards done with her?"

"It was not I, nor was it Taruto. Your companion was taken by our former partner. Perhaps _you_ remember Kisshu, Ichigo?" Ichigo's cheeks reddened and she looked away. "I'll take that as a yes," Pai said with a nod of his head.

"Who is Kisshu?" Masaya asked Ichigo, looking concerned and slightly hurt.

"He's… he's no one. Just one of the aliens we used to fight against." She then turned to Pai. "Are you saying that Kisshu has Painappuru?"

"He sure does!" Taruto chimed in. "And he sure is getting _comfortable_ with her." He winked at the group.

"You're lying! You're a damn liar!" Kinezumi yelled. "What have you done to her?"

"If you have done anything to hurt Painappuru, I _will_ kill you," Yuki Tora hissed. "So unless you _want_ to burn in Hell, you better tell us where she is!"

"Please, you must calm yourselves and let us explain," Pai cut in, shooting Taruto an angry glare. "Your friend is currently on our planet and she is, in fact, with Kisshu. He is the reason she is there in the first place. Tart and I had nothing to do with it. We, like you, are trying to find a way to bring her back to Earth. We are not looking to start another war with you and we do not want to cause panic on our own planet by having an alien creature staying there. I understand that after the history our two planets have, it may seem hard to believe us. But, I have prepared a way to prove to you that what we say is true. We don't want to hurt your friend. We simply want her to return home and leave our planet alone."

"That's a nice speech, but we want to see the proof!" Yuki Tora demanded. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked over and saw Ryou. He gave her a reassuring smile and she started to relax.

"The girls are very concerned about their friend," Ryou said. "Please, we just want to see that she is alright."

Pai nodded. "I understand." He inhaled deeply then raised his hands to the ceiling. "Come forth, Clouds of Association!" Dark clouds swirled around the ceiling of the café. "Show me the alien, Kisshu and his new companion!" Pai commanded of the magical clouds. The vortex of clouds churned faster until Kisshu's face appeared.

He was lying in a bed. When he turned on his side, Painappuru came into view as well. She was lying beside him, fast asleep. Kisshu sighed and pushed a strand of blonde hair out of Painappuru's face. He smiled at her sleeping face and kissed her forehead. "You never have to go back," he whispered. "We can stay here forever." Then he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. "Good night my sweet, little goat." Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep as well.

Ichigo's blush deepened even more. Something didn't seem right. This wasn't the Kisshu she used to know. He seemed to legitimately care about Painappuru instead of just seeing her as a plaything. Ichigo remembered when Kisshu claimed to have loved her and yet always referred to her as his toy. He enjoyed seeing her when she was frightened and the sight of tears on her face had excited him. Now, he seemed different. He had changed. Or had he always been like that and Ichigo was too quick to judge? Or, maybe, he hadn't changed at all and they had just caught him in a situation that didn't show his true self… Ichigo's head started to hurt with all the thoughts that were going through her mind.

Pai waved his hand as if to shoo away an insect and the clouds disappeared. He turned back to the Mew Mews. "As you can see, we have a problem. Kisshu is becoming attached to the girl and the longer they stay together, the harder it is going to be to separate them."

"Then take us to your planet now and let's take Painappuru back dammit!" Kinezumi said. "We'll deal with this right now and bring her home!"

Pai shook his head. "The plan needs to be much more developed than just charging over there and stealing her back. If we are not cautious, we can create chaos among my people. They don't take well to humans and if they see you, there is no telling what they will do. Not only that, but there are a myriad of complications that involve actually getting you to our planet. You see, for a human, simply transporting takes a painful toll on the body. Your friend will tell you that when you see her again. If we transport all of you, you'll be useless to your companion because you will be in too much agony to rescue her."

"So are we just supposed to sit here and do nothing until you figure out how you're going to get us over there?" Mint asked in annoyance.

"That is the only thing you _can_ do," Pai replied. "I need to figure out how to transport you all to my planet without being discovered or injured."

Lettuce stepped forward. "Let me help you."

Pai gave her a puzzled look. "How can you help? You know nothing about the sciences of my planet and what it will require to achieve what we are aiming for."

"I don't want to brag, but I _am_ very intelligent. I am also a fast learner." She twirled one of her long braids around her index finger as she spoke. "You can teach me, as if I am an assistant, and perhaps while you are mentoring me, one of us will be able to come up with a solution to our problem. Please, I want to do my part and help as much as possible."

"You make a strong argument, but I cannot take you back to my planet to teach you."

"There's no need to take her with you," Keiichiro cut in. "You may use our headquarters. You can have access to our technology as well. It might come in handy. That way, Lettuce, and I if you will allow me, _will_ be able to aid you."

Pai sighed as he thought it over. It was a good offer, but also a risky one. Could he trust the humans to let him stay in their headquarters?

"I think we should agree," Taruto said, poking Pai in the ribs. "We need to take every chance thrown at us to separate Kisshu and the human girl."

Pai nodded. "You are right." He turned to the humans. "Very well," he said. "I will accept your offer. Allow me and Tart to retrieve a few things from home and then we will get working right away." With that, he and Taruto disappeared.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Thanks a million times princessmiddleast, like always! :D You are so awesome!**_

Eleven

When Painappuru woke up, she was cuddled against Kisshu's chest. She looked up at the sleeping alien, trying not to move too much so she wouldn't wake him. His hunter green hair had been taken out of their bands and some of it spilled onto his face. He had the faintest hint of a smile on his face, one of his sharp canine teeth poking out from under his top lip. His skin was the color of the pale moon and flawless. Painappuru couldn't help but find him so fascinating to stare at. He was very attractive.

His eyelids started to flutter open and he let out a yawn. When his eyes met hers, he smiled sweetly and whispered, "Good morning."

Painappuru felt her cheeks get hot. Did he think she was silly or strange for staring at him while he slept? "Good… good morning," she stuttered from her embarrassment. She quickly looked away from him so he wouldn't see her blush. She suddenly felt so exposed in the thin nightgown Kisshu had managed to borrow for her from a friend. But, she was also filled with an unexplainable, warm affection for Kisshu. He made her feel so shy, and yet, at some times, they acted as if they knew each other for so long and were such close friends. She realized that they had only known each other for five days now, but he _did_ save her life, and that only made him more appealing. She wanted to get to know Kisshu as much as possible. He intrigued her.

Kisshu lifted Painappuru's face up so she was looking at him again. "Why are you hiding from me, dear? What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

"Nothing…" she replied coyly.

He raised a teasing eyebrow. "I don't believe that at all. You've got to be thinking about _something_."

Painappuru smiled. "Ok… Fine…" She let out a little, embarrassed giggle.

"You'll tell me?" he asked excitedly.

"I'll show you," she answered in a soft voice. She closed the space between the two of them, bringing her mouth to his. She could feel Kisshu grin into the kiss. She couldn't believe that she had the courage to kiss him. She normally wasn't the kind of girl to just kiss someone out of the blue. Not only that, but she barely knew him. However, she would be lying if she said she wasn't happy that she had mustered up the courage to kiss him. When they separated, Kisshu had a pleased look on his face.

"I like the way you think." He then pulled her back to him, this time, indulging her with a deeper, sweeter kiss. He tangled his fingers in her hair as she placed her hands on his chest. He hands then traveled away from her head and down to her arms. He was pleased to find goose bumps on her skin caused by his kiss. They parted for air and Kisshu stroked Painappuru's rosy cheek. "My little goat…" he whispered into her ear as she snuggled closer to him. "As much as I love just laying here beside you, we need to make our way to the waterfall for your next treatment. I want you feeling your best as soon as possible. There is still so much I want to show you."

Painappuru nodded in understanding. "Alright, let's go." She moved so that Kisshu could climb out of bed, then she sat up and scooted to the edge. Just as Kisshu was about to lift her into her arms, she put a hand up. "Hold on," she said. "I… I just want to see if I'm at least a little better." She held her hands out to him. He took them and gently pulled her up off the bed so she was standing. She took a deep breath then nodded at him. He slowly let go of her hands and watched them fall to her side.

She swayed slightly as if her balance was somewhat off, but she stayed upright. It was a huge improvement and Kisshu was surprised that she was healing so quickly. Her face glowed with delight and she beamed. Kisshu chuckled at the silly smile on her face, but his heart swelled with pride and happiness. He was happy to see her so cheerful. And at this rate, he figured she would be healed in no time. Then, they would be able to do so much more than just hang out at the falls and in his room.

She fell back onto the bed with a tired sigh. "That takes up a surprising amount of energy. I think it's time we head to the waterfall."

Kisshu agreed and picked her up. "Get ready," he warned her.

She buried her head into his chest and took a deep breath. This time, when he transported with her, it was not as painful. She could still feel a bit of pressure pushing against her body, but she wasn't losing her breath and it was not a strong as it was the first two times. When they arrived at the waterfall, Painappuru glanced up at Kisshu. He was looking down at her with concern written all over his face.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It really wasn't so bad that time," she reassured him. "I think I'm getting used to it."

Kisshu smiled. "Wonderful," he said. Then he carried her over to the water. He gingerly lowered her into the cool water. Once she was settled and comfortable, he got in as well. He let out a satisfied sigh as the water relaxed his tense muscles and filled him with energy. He draped an arm around Painappuru and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't want this to end," she said, suddenly sounding doleful.

Kisshu looked down at her with surprise. Where had that come from? He stroked her blonde hair. "Nothing has to end," he consoled her. "Nothing has to end if you don't want it to."

She let out a shaky breath and a pearly tear slipped down her cheek. "I can't stay here forever Kish. I have friends and family back on Earth. I have a responsibility as a Mew Mew."

Kisshu frowned and sighed. "You need to do what you want. You can't let other people's expectations of you control how you live. Stay with me. You'll be happy, I promise."

Painappuru shook her head and stared at the crystal blue water, avoiding Kisshu's disappointed face. "I wish it was that simple. But as much as you mean to me, I love my friends and family too and I don't want to live without them either. And I _like_ being a Mew Mew. I like helping people and using my powers and everything. I even like working at the café. It's all just so complicated…"

"Look at me," he said softly. When she continued to stare at the water, he said it again, but time, much more firmly, making it sound like a command. She listened and looked up at him with her misery-filled eyes. Kisshu's eyes began to glow a white-blue color. "You don't ever have to go back," he said in a soothing voice. "They will be ok without you. And they know how happy you are here. They don't want to take away your happiness. Stay here with me." Painappuru blinked twice, then laid her head on his shoulder again. Kisshu's eyes returned to their normal yellow color and he closed them, relaxing in the cool water.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Thanks to princessmidlleast for being so incredibly awesome and taking the time to review on every single chapter! You are what motivates me to keep writing and it means so much to have your constant support!**_

Twelve

It took a little over a month, thirty-six days to be exact, for Pai, Lettuce, and Keiichiro to finally find a solution to how the Mew Mews were going to get to Painappuru. It was Lettuce who figured out the final details that created the potion. Appropriately named the Resistance Potion, when drunken, would give the Mew Mews the strength to withstand being transported by Pai and Taruto. Ryou and Keiichiro would stay at Café Mew Mew and watch over the girls in the basement headquarters. Within that time, Zakuro had been contacted and she agreed to return to help the team rescue Painappuru. She had arrived a week later. She had been briefed about what had happened and what they planned on doing to bring their friend back.

The day of their departure had finally come and everyone was anxious. There was no telling what would await them on the other side or how Kisshu and Painappuru would react to their arrival. But it had to be done. Painappuru couldn't stay there. Her parents had already filed a missing person's case and the police were still trying to figure out where she was. Her family was slowly beginning to lose hope that she would ever return and it was heartbreaking to see them suffer.

The Mew Mews met up at the café at six o'clock in the morning. Pai, Taruto, Keiichiro, and Ryou were already there, waiting for them. There was thick tension in the room, but the team tried to seem cheery.

"Welcome girls," Ryou said. "I hope you are prepared to take on what lies ahead of you. You'll need to be in order to help Painappuru. We believe in you. We know that you will succeed and that Painappuru will return with you soon. Now, please transform."

"Mew Mew Strawberry, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Minto, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Pudding, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Zakuro, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Yuki Tora, metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Kinezumi, metamorphosis!"

The girls kissed their pendants and in a flash of colors, they transformed into their Mew Mew counterparts.

Ryou walked away and entered the kitchen. He returned with seven glasses and a tall bottle filled with a green liquid. He handed a glass to each of the Mew Mews and then started filling them with the contents of the bottle. The liquid smelled of citrus fruit which made it seem more appealing. "We need to get this over with. The sooner we get Painappuru home, the better. Here is your Resistance Potion. Drink it fast and then get ready to transport."

The girls nodded, took deep breaths, then quickly drank the potion. Despite its smell, it had no fruity taste to it whatsoever. It was so sour it left their mouths feeling dry and made their eyes water. They squirmed when they finished and handed the empty glasses back to Ryou.

"Quickly now ladies," Keiichiro instructed. "We don't have much time!"

The girls, Pai, and Taruto all formed and circle and linked hands. "Is everyone ready?" Pai asked.

"Let's go!" The Mew Mews responded.

"Brace yourselves!" the older alien yelled. He and Taruto took a deep breath and then transported, concentrating on bring the girls with them.

The Mew Mews felt a slight pressure around their bodies, but for the most part, they did not feel pain. It only lasted a few seconds. Then, they were standing in a grassy field, surrounded by trees that bore brightly colored fruit. The scenery was beautiful and the girls felt as if they were in a dream world. Their breath was taken away by the planet's splendor.

"Is everyone feeling alright?" Pai asked the group. The girls stopped admiring their surroundings, refocusing on their mission, and nodded. "Good. Come on. The waterfall where Kisshu and your friend should be is not far from here." He started walking away and the team followed him.

Taruto fell behind Pai so he could walk next to Pudding. Her face was full of determination, but Taruto could also see fear in her eyes. He wondered if she was questioning whether or not he and Pai could be trusted. Or maybe, she was just worried about her friend. He put a supportive hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Everything is going to be ok," he said. "I'll do anything I can to help you and your friend."

Pudding gave him a grateful grin. "Thank you Taru Taru. You are a good friend." She stopped walking and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "You are my best friend," she whispered into his pointed ear.

Taruto hugged her back and blushed bright red at her words. "You're my best friend too," he replied. In truth, Pudding was the only real friend Taruto had ever had. He didn't get along well with other children his age, but Pudding was different. There was something special, something _alluring_, about her. "After we save your friend and you go back to Earth, I want to still be friends," Taruto said bashfully when they started walking again.

"Oh, I want to stay friends too!" Pudding cheered. "I want nothing more to stay best friends forever!"

"I can always ask Pai to make more of that Resistance Potion. Then you can come here and visit me. Or I can travel to Earth and see you there. We'll figure something out, I promise."

Tears filled Pudding's bright eyes. "I know we will," she said. She reached out her small hand and grasped Taruto's. The walked the rest of the way, hand in hand. When Pai finally stopped, they were standing in front of a dazzling waterfall.

"This is where Kisshu brings her every day. The water here has been helping her heal," Pai explained. "If I am not mistaken, they should be here soon."

"And we'll be here waiting for them," Zakuro said.

"How do you plan to confront them? Do you want to hide and then reveal yourselves or are you going to be standing here when they arrive?"

The team looked at Ichigo for her opinion. "I think we should stay right here and let them see us right off the bat. If we suddenly appear out of nowhere, they might feel like they are being ambushed and the whole plan could get ruined."

"Very well," Pai said, crossing his arms. "Taruto and I will stand here with you then."

_** I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

_****_Mew Painappuru_****_


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks to princessmiddleast for staying with the story for so long! It's sad isn't it that they want to tear Kisshu and Painappuru apart? We'll see what happens... And thank you very much to "Yuri" as well for such kind words.**

Thirteen

"I think this will be the last time you will ever have to go to the falls," Kisshu said excitedly as he took Painappuru's hand and kissed the top of it.

"That's wonderful!" she said, throwing her arms around him.

Kisshu grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling him closer to him. He brought his mouth down on hers, kissing her deeply and passionately. She moaned into the kiss, sending excited chills down Kisshu's spine. He nibbled on her bottom lip then trailed kisses down her jawline and to her neck.

"Kisshu…" she sighed.

He lifted his face to hers and flashed a devilish, seductive smirk. "Alright, let's go," he said. He laughed at Painappuru's look of disappointment. She _clearly_ wanted more, but Kisshu had more fun leaving her waiting. He kissed her forehead and then transported them to the waterfall.

When the couple turned toward the waterfall, Kisshu stopped dead in his tracks. Painappuru sent him a puzzled glance, but he paid no attention. His eyes were focused on a particular girl with pink hair and fuzzy cat ears. "I…Ichigo…" It had been nearly a year since he had last seen her. And now, she was here, on _his_ planet, right in front of him. He felt like he couldn't breathe…

"Painappuru!" a voice screamed, causing her to jump and cling to Kisshu.

"Kish…" she whimpered in an almost childlike voice. "Kisshu, who are these people?" One of the girls ran up to Painappuru, tears in her eyes and a relieved smile on her face. Painappuru moved back, hiding behind Kisshu, who snapped out of his trance at the sound of her voice.

"Painappuru?" the girl said. "Painappuru, it's me, Kinezumi."

Painappuru shook her head at the girl and clung to Kisshu's shirt. Kisshu pulled her close to him, as if to protect her from the stranger.

Tears formed in the girl's eyes. "Painappuru… Don't you know who I am? I'm Kinezumi. I'm your best friend."

"My best friend?" She looked up at Kisshu to confirm or deny this statement, but he said nothing. He just stared at the group with sad eyes.

"Yes. All the girls here are your friends. Don't you remember Yuki Tora? And Ichigo, Pudding, Mint, Zakuro, and Lettuce? We're the Mew Mews! Don't you remember being a Mew Mew?"

"Mew Mew…" The words sounded so familiar to Painappuru. She strained her brain, trying to figure out what they meant. For some reason, her memory seemed fuzzy. Her head started to hurt, but she was desperate to remember what this girl was talking about. Why did everything sound so familiar? Mew Mew… Mew Mew… She was a Mew Mew? What was a Mew Mew anyway? She reached for the pendant that hung around her neck and stroked it, a nervous habit she had developed. As soon as her fingers caressed the cool metal, it all rushed back to her.

Kinezumi and Yuki Tora were her best friends. Alongside of them, she was part of a team of super heroines called the Mew Mews. They were led by Mew Ichigo. She was Mew Painappuru. She was infused with the DNA of a goat. They had been fighting a monster when she arrived to this planet with Kisshu…

"Kinezumi…" she whispered.

"Yes," her friend responded. "Painappuru, do you remember now?"

Painappuru smiled. "I can't believe I could forget." She brought her pendant to her lips. "Mew Mew Painappuru, metamorphosis!" In a flash of orange, the girl transformed. Then she made a move to run to her friend for a hug, but something held her back.

Kisshu grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. A dark look crossed his face. "Painappuru, please don't do this to me. Please don't leave me…"

"Kisshu…" Painappuru said, concern filling her being. She had never seen Kisshu this way. He was always so happy and loving. Where had this animosity come from?

A tear raced down his cheek and he looked up at her with sorrow filled eyes. "Painappuru, please… I can't do this again. I can't lose someone again."

"Again?" she repeated confused.

"Painappuru, just come with us," Kinezumi said, beckoning her friend. "Come back home to Earth where all your friends and family are."

"We've all missed you so much," Yuki Tora said, stepping up next to Kinezumi.

Painappuru had to admit, now that she remembered them, she really missed her friends as well. She looked over a Kisshu. She couldn't leave him. He meant too much to her. "I… I don't want to leave Kish," she said sheepishly. Kisshu's head snapped up and he looked at her with surprise in his eyes. She moved closer to him and pulled him into a hug. "I _can't_ leave him," she said.

"That is rather unfortunate for you," Pai replied. "You are going to have to leave. You cannot stay on this planet. Humans are not welcome here."

"Please, don't make me choose between you two," Painappuru begged.

"We're not," Zakuro said. "There's no option. You are coming back home Painappuru."

"You _need_ to return home," Ichigo pressed. "It's just not possible for you to stay here."

"She said no!" Kisshu barked. "She doesn't want to leave. And I'm not letting her get ripped away from me the way Ichigo was. I'm not losing the one I love again!" His eyes glowed and he wrapped his arms around Painappuru. "No one is taking her away from me!" With that, he flew into the air. He floated above them, Painappuru pressed against his chest.

"Enough!" Pai yelled. "I will not stand for this insubordination!" A red fan appeared in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo cried. "Don't attack! You could hit Painappuru!"

Pai ignored her. "Kuu Rai Sen!" he yelled waving the fan upwards towards Kisshu and Painappuru. A fierce wind burst from the fan and headed towards the couple. Kisshu swiftly dodged the attack. Pai growled in anger.

"Pai! Please stop!" Taruto yelled.

Pai continued to ignore them. "He _will not_ get away with her… Kuu Rai Sen Puu Jin!" He pointed the fan at Painappuru and Kisshu again. This time, the fan emitted bright yellow thunder. The thunder shot through the sky, heading towards the alien and the Mew Mew.

From the corner of his eye, Kisshu saw the thunder and he quickly turned his body so that his back was to the thunder, protecting Painappuru. When the thunder hit him, his body convulsed, but he didn't let go of Painappuru. He wasn't going to let her die… He _would_ her protect her… No matter what…

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

_**Mew Painappuru**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Thanks princessmiddleast for always reviewing and being such an awesome fan of the story. Not going to lie, writing this chapter was very hard and emotional for me. I hope you enjoy it!**_

Fourteen

They were falling. They were _falling_! They were plummeting to their death and there was nothing anyone could do. All they could do was stand there and what? Hope they don't die when they finally hit the ground? Not good enough… There _had_ to be something. They had not come this far to lose her!

Pudding looked around at the people surrounding her. Mew Kinezumi and Mew Yuki Tora were holding each other, tears streaming down their faces. Mew Ichigo and Mew Lettuce were covering their shocked faces with their hands. Mew Zakuro was holding Mew Mint as she cried. Taruto was squeezing her hand tightly. Pai was standing there with a satisfied smirk. Suddenly, an idea came to Pudding.

"Pudding Ring!" she yelled, ripping her hand out of Taruto's grip and summoning her weapon. She took a deep breath, separated the two rings then shouted, "Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!" She concentrated hard on the spot where she assumed Kisshu and Painappuru were going to land. A giant pudding dessert formed on the area, just in time to cushion Kisshu and Painappuru's fall. They slowly sunk to the bottom and then the treat vanished. Kisshu was left lying on the ground with Painappuru's head on his chest.

"Mew Pudding!" Lettuce cried. "You saved them!"

They all ran over to Kisshu and Painappuru, who still hadn't moved. When they reached the pair, they could hear quiet whimpering and saw Painappuru's shoulders shaking. Kisshu's eyes were closed and one arm was still draped over Painappuru, as if he were still trying to protect her from any harm.

"Are… are you alright?" Mint asked, reaching out and touching Painappuru's shoulder.

Painappuru flinched away and her sobs got louder. "He's gone…" she whispered. "He's gone!"

"Come home with us. It will be ok," Ichigo said sweetly, trying to comfort her friend.

The girl shook her head. "I'm not leaving him," she bawled. "It's not fair! It should have been me! It should have been me…"

"Painappuru, please…" Yuki Tora begged her friend, tears cascading down her face.

"If he has to die, so do I," Painappuru said severely.

"You're being irrational," Zakuro said sternly. "If Kisshu dies, there is nothing you can do about it."

"She obviously does not want to go home with you," Pai said, coming up next to the Mew Mews and Taruto. "You should just honor her wishes."

"You have no idea what she wants you heartless bastard!" Kinezumi screamed. "We're not just going to leave her here to die!"

Pai shook his head. "Foolish humans." He pulled out his fan again. "At least I have the decency to put a creature out of its misery."

"Pai, don't!" Taruto yelled.

Pai glared at the child. "You are a traitor Tart. We need to get rid of her. This was the plan from the beginning and I will not allow you to back out! We _will_ complete this mission!" He pointed the fan at Painappuru. "Kuu Rai Sen Puu Jin!" Thunder erupted from the fan and hit Painappuru on the back. She screamed in agony as her body jerked from the lightning strike. Pai sneered and then, pleased that his job was complete, transported away.

Painappuru's body became still. There was a flash of light and she returned to her human form. Her skin was slowly losing color. Nobody moved. Everyone was in shock and all they could do was stand there with tears flowing down their faces. Even Taruto couldn't help but cry at the loss. They knew Painappuru was gone. They had failed…

Suddenly, Ichigo dropped to her knees beside Painappuru. "I'm so sorry Painappuru," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry." She sighed. "Strawberry Bell!" she called mournfully. She raised the heart shaped weapon to the sky. "Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!" A pink light burst from the bell and lit up the sky as if to signal the grieving that was taking place. One by one, the Mew Mews followed what Ichigo was doing. They knelt beside Painappuru and Kisshu, summoned their weapons and pointed them at the sky, emitting a light, each of a different color.

"Minto Arrow! Ribbon Minto Echo!" An electric blue light was released from the tip of the arrowhead.

"Lettuce Castanets! Ribbon Lettuce Rush!" A lime green beam shot through the middle of the instruments.

"Pudding Ring! Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!" A yellow glow surrounded the rings and then reached up into the clouds.

"Ribbon Zakuro Pure!" A purple luminosity erupted from the tip of Zakuro's spear.

"Ribbon Yuki Tora Strike!" A silver illumination burst from the tip of the sword blade.

"Kinezumi Mace! Ribbon Kinezumi Smash!" A blue-black radiance was discharged from every point on the mace.

With every color in the air, the beams of light began to twist around each other, a light show dance that created the image of a rainbow braid. Then, one by one, the colors began to separate. First, the pink light broke away. As it fell to the ground, it took the shape of a cat. Then blue broke free and formed into a bird. Green was third, changing into a porpoise. Yellow fashioned itself into a monkey. Purple freed itself and turned into a wolf. When silver broke away, it formed into a tiger. Black was the last to fall back to the ground and it took the shape of a light creatures grouped around Painappuru and Kisshu. They seemed to be studying the fallen couple. Their shimmering bodies bathed the pair in rainbow colors, making them seem like they were out of a dream. They seemed at peace as the colorful reflections danced across their faces. Then the animals jumped into the air and dived into Painappuru's back.

**_I really hope that wasn't too confusing for anyone. If it was, please speak up and tell me what I can do to make it better. I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!_**

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	15. Chapter 15

**_princessmiddleast, as always, thank you for taking the time to review! Keep reading and find out what fate has in store!_**

Fifteen

Painappuru suddenly inhaled deeply, the air was sweet in her mouth as it raced through her body and filled her lungs. Her whole body hurt. A burning sensation was running up and down her spine and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes because of the pain. She could feel her body shaking. She inhaled again, slower this time. It was almost like a foreign feeling to her. She didn't think she could forget what it was like to breathe, but she had to keep reminding herself to inhale and exhale for a few seconds.

Painappuru was in a surreal state. She didn't feel alive, but she knew she had to be. She was breathing and she could feel the sharp pain engulfing her body. She was also aware of a presence underneath her. She slowly opened her eyes. The sun was too bright and she quickly shut them again. She tried to remember where she was and what had happened, but her brain couldn't process anything but the fact that she was hurting.

She opened her eyes again, braving the intensity of the sunlight, and saw that she was laying on someone's chest. She turned her neck to see the person's face, ignoring the sharpshooting discomfort it gave her. Kisshu's face appeared in her vision, his eyes closed. Suddenly, everything came rushing back to her. Her choice between life on Earth and life with Kisshu. Flying into the air and Kisshu protecting her from Pai's attacks. Falling. Landing, but not on the hard ground like she had expected. Arguing with her team once she realized that Kisshu was gone. Blackness. Now she was awake, but Kisshu…

"No…" she whispered.

"Did you hear that?" a voice from above her asked. It was Zakuro's voice. "Painappuru?" she said softly. "Can you hear me?"

"Painappuru?" This was Kinezumi; her voice was shaking. "Please tell me you're awake."

"I… What happened? Why… why _am_ I awake? I don't… I don't want…" she couldn't seem to turn her thoughts into actual sentences. She was struggling to communicate. There just wasn't enough energy in her.

"Don't worry," Lettuce said soothingly. "We'll take care of you. You'll be better soon."

"No… Not without Kish."

There was an awkward silence and then Ichigo said, "Painappuru, there's nothing we can do. I'm sorry…"

"But, I came back," Painappuru argued quietly. "He can too. I know it."

"We're not even sure how that happened," Ichigo said. "I think it was our combined powers, but that took a lot of energy out of us. I don't think we can do it again."

Painappuru shook her head. "You might not be able to, but I can."

"Don't," Yuki Tora said sternly. "You don't have a lot of energy in you as it is. You can't afford to give it up."

"I can't afford to lose Kish." Painappuru replied stubbornly.

"I don't think you're going to change her mind," Taruto said.

"We _have_ to," Pudding said sadly.

Painappuru took a deep breath and tried to block out the conversation going on around her. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, focusing only on bringing life back to Kisshu. She envisioned life flowing into him, breath filling his lungs, and his honey colored eyes opening. She pictured his teasing smile and heard his amused chuckle. She felt the warmth of his arms around her and tears spilled down her cheeks. She slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. She brought her face closer to Kisshu's, whispered into his ear, then kissed his cold, still lips.

A bright orange light swirled and glowed around the couple. Painappuru could feel the energy slowly drain out of her and it brought even more pain to her body. But she didn't stop. She couldn't. She wasn't going to let Kisshu die because of her. She would endure all the pain in the world if it meant bringing him back.

When she broke off the kiss, she could barely hold her head up. The luminosity around them faded and Kisshu's eyelids fluttered open. Satisfied that her plan had worked, she smiled at him. He smiled back, lovingly. That was all she needed to see. She could finally give into the pain, give her body a break and allow herself to be enveloped by the blackness threatening to take over her vision and her mind.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	16. Chapter 16

_**princessmiddleast, Glad the last chapter made you happy! :D Thanks for your constant support! Hope Diamond, Thanks! I hope you keep reading and the continuing chapters continue to please you!**_

Sixteen

Kisshu sat up slowly, holding Painappuru against his chest. He looked around at the Mew Mews surrounding him and Taruto standing beside the littlest one. They were all looking at him with wide eyes full of astonishment and concern. His head and body hurt, but he tried to ignore it. He was too worried about Painappuru, who was passed out in his arms. He turned to Ichigo.

"What's going on?"

Ichigo blushed at being addressed by him, but he waved it off. The history they shared shouldn't, didn't, matter anymore. Ichigo was his past. Painappuru was his present and his future.

"I think she gave her energy to you," Lettuce answered. "She didn't want to live without you, so she transferred her life to you."

Kisshu stared at her in alarm. Then he positioned his index finger against Painappuru's neck where her pulse would be. He let out a relieved exhale when he felt gentle a beat against his skin. "She's still alive," he sighed.

"But barely, I'm sure," Zakuro said. "She gave a lot of energy to you. We need to get her back to Earth so she can be cared for."

"You need treatment as well, Kisshu," Ichigo finally spoke up. "I'm sure you're still weak and in a lot of pain."

Kisshu nodded. "How are we all going to get back though?"

Taruto opened the bag he had been carrying on his back and pulled out a large bottle. "I have the rest of the Resistance Potion," he announced. "The Mew Mews will drink this and we can transport them back to Earth."

"Is Kisshu going to be able to summon that much power?" Yuki Tora asked. "He doesn't have a lot of strength."

Kisshu waved her comment aside. "I can do it." He stood up, his knees shaking a bit, still carrying Painappuru. Taruto handed the bottle to Ichigo and the Mew Mews quickly took a gulp and then passed it on. Kisshu carefully poured some into Painappuru's mouth and made her swallow it. Then, as they had before, they all grasped hands. Lettuce and Mint, who were on either side of Kisshu, instead linked arms with him. Then Kisshu and Taruto concentrated on arriving at Café Mew Mew and they transported the group.

When they arrived in the café, Kisshu fell to his knees. His breath was labored and he was trembling. Transporting so many people had taken a lot out of him. Zakuro rushed over to him and took Painappuru from his arms. He was hesitant to let her go, but knew that there wasn't much he could do for her while in his current state. Lettuce and Mint ran downstairs to retrieve Keiichiro and Ryou. Pudding and Taruto helped Kisshu back to his feet and supported him as he stood.

When Ryou and Keiichiro appeared, Lettuce and Mint were just concluding their explaination of what had happened on the alien planet. Ryou ran over to Zakuro and took Painappuru from her. He carried her upstairs where his room was to lay her down and start treating her. Keiichiro instructed Kisshu to sit down and then went into the kitchen. He returned with a tray full of teacups. He handed a teacup to each person and told them to drink its contents. The minty flavored drink filled them with warmth and they could slowly feel their strength returning to them. Keiichiro then walked over to Kisshu. He slung the alien's arm around his shoulders for support and then led him up the stairs. They entered Ryou's room. Ryou was pulling a blanket over Painappuru, who was lying in his bed. Keiichiro set up a small cot in the room.

"I apologize," he said with a sympathetic smile, "but this is the only other bed we have."

Kisshu nodded. "It's alright. Thank you for your hospitality. You don't have to do this."

"Yes we do," Keiichiro argued. "You risked your life to keep Painappuru safe and it is clear to _all _of us that you are not the same person we once knew. You have become an ally, a friend, to the Mew Mew Team. Therefore, we will treat you like a friend. And that means we will do all that we can to help you regain your strength."

Kisshu was speechless. Only a year ago, these people would have been happier to see him dead, and now they were helping him stay alive. It was unreal. Kisshu was extremely grateful and thanked Keiichiro profusely. He lied down on the cot and made himself as comfortable as possible.

Kisshu insisted that Keiichiro and Ryou take care of Painappuru first because she was in a worse condition than he. He watched them carefully remove her T-shirt so they could better examine the wound she received from Pai's attacks. The middle of her back sported a large burn mark that was most likely going to scar. Ryou and Keiichiro carefully applied cream to it then wrapped bandage around her middle. They replaced her shirt and then laid her back down. They then poured liquid medicines into her mouth and laid a cool washcloth on her forehead.

When it was his turn to be treated, Kisshu pulled his shirt off so they could inspect his injury as well. They assured him the he didn't need to worry about it too much. It was no better or worse than the one Painappuru had. It was most likely going to scar, but other than that, it would be fine. They applied the cream to his back as well and then wrapped the bandage around him. He replaced his shirt, and then, just like Painappuru, he received liquid medicine.

"Please call for us if you need anything," Keiichiro said with a smile as he placed two glasses of water on the desk between the bed and the cot. "These are for you and Painappuru should either of you get thirsty. I suggest you get some rest Kisshu. You need to get your strength back."

Kisshu thanked the man as he and Ryou left the room to return to the Mew Mews downstairs. He sighed and looked over at Painappuru. She looked so serene when she slept and he hoped that she wasn't in too much pain. The medicine he was given had begun to dull his own pain and he was starting to feel a bit drowsy. He didn't want to fall asleep though. He wanted to wait for Painappuru to wake up so he could hear from her that she was feeling better. However, within ten minutes, he had given into sleep.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

_**Mew Painappuru**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**princessmiddleast, this isn't the end just yet, but let me just say that as I get closer to ending the story, it gets harder for me to write because even I don't want it to end. I never considered making a sequel, but if you have ideas, don't be afraid to send it to me. I would certainly do my best to try and write a sequel if you wanted me to :)**_

Seventeen

The air in the room was full of tension and concern. A scented candle that was supposed to promote relaxation was lit and sitting in the center of the table, but it wasn't doing much. How could anybody relax? They were facing a complicated situation and as they tried to figure out a solution, their conversation was slowly turning into an argument.

"She's just going to have to get over it," Mint said, sipping her honey raspberry tea. "Everybody has to deal with heartbreak at some point in their lives. Now is just her time."

"That will cause more than heartbreak," Kinezumi countered. "It would kill her. You saw what happened. She willing gave up her life for him _twice_. There's something there Mint. That's love. And you can't just tear someone away from the person they love. It's cruel."

"How can it possibly be love?" Mint asked. "They knew each other for a month. You can't just fall in love with someone in a month. Especially not someone like _him_."

"Do you even hear yourself Mint? You sound like a snobby bitch! There's clearly nothing wrong with him. Of course it could be love. You think that because he's not human he isn't capable of love?"

"You can't put a label or a time limit on love," Zakuro said wisely.

"I _know_ he's not capable of love because I know how he was when he was 'in love'," she used air quotes for emphasis, "with Ichigo. It's not love. It's lust. He wants her as a toy and when he's bored with her, he'll just leave her somewhere. And that will break her heart more than just making her forget about him now."

"I think he's changed Mint," Ichigo said quietly. "He seems so different from the last time we saw him."

Mint scoffed. "People like him _don't_ change Ichigo. Besides, we can't just let her abandon her duties as a Mew Mew."

There was silence as the group realized the truth in Mint's statement. Then Ryou sighed. "Unfortunately, Mint is right. We can't afford to lose her when we still haven't figured out who has been attacking us. We need all the power we can get. It's bad enough that we might lose Zakuro at any given moment because of her career. We can't let go of anyone else."

"This just isn't fair," Yuki Tora said. "It's not fair to anyone. She can't go and be with the one she _loves_," she emphasized the word to spite Mint, "because she'll be leaving her family and friends and the Mew Mews, but it's going to hurt her so much to stay because she can't be with him if she does."

"Why doesn't _he_ just stay here?" Everyone turned and stared at Painappuru, standing at the bottom of the stairs. She had obviously been listening to the whole conversations. Tears sparkled in her eyes and she walked into the room, closer to her friends.

"St… Stay?" Mint repeated. "An _alien_ stay on Earth and try to live among humans?" She let out an amused laugh. "Yeah, that will go down well," she said sarcastically.

Ryou grimaced. "I think I agree with Mint here," he said. "I don't know if an alien's presence will be a very good idea."

"But he might be able to help us figure out who has been attacking us," she pressed.

"You're only saying that because you want him here," Mint said, rolling her eyes.

"And you're only saying _that_ because you don't want him here!" Painappuru argued. "You can't stand the thought of having someone like Kisshu staying on Earth."

"You're not looking at things from Mint's point of view," Zakuro said calmly. "We suffered a lot of pain because of what Kisshu put all of us through in the past. It isn't easy to even consider allowing him to reside on our planet. You wouldn't understand because it wasn't you out there fighting, watching people you know suffer, and having to give up all your energy and time to put a stop to the chaos he was causing."

"And you're not looking at things from _my _point of view! It wasn't just Kisshu who attacked you guys. It was Pai and Taruto too. And yet, you've let Taruto stand beside you during this whole ordeal. Even when Pai turned on you and attacked me, you _still_ trusted Tart. Why? Why is he any different? Not only that, but Kisshu has been a wonderful friend to me. But, you wouldn't understand because it wasn't you whose life was saved by him _more than once_. You don't know what it's like to feel so completely helpless that all you can do is pray that the person who is promising to take care of you holds true to their word." Tears spilled down her face.

"Has anyone ever _died_ for you Zakuro? What about you Mint? You have _no idea_ what that does to someone. It's obvious that whatever he did that made you hate him so much is not part of who he is now. He was there for me when I was scared and sad and hurting. He took care of me. He means… he means so much to me… And it's not fair for you to try and rip that away from me. It's not fair that I have to suffer because of your grudge against him." Painappuru took a deep breath, calming herself down. "I know it's difficult to ever imagine Kisshu living on Earth as an equal to us. I really do understand. But I am begging you, please, don't make him leave. I know that he can, and would, live peacefully among us. And… his living here really could benefit more than me… He really could try and help us figure out who is attacking us. And, maybe, Tart could live with Kisshu. They could pose as brothers. That way, Pudding and him could always play and be together as well."

"Now hold on a second!" Mint interrupted, noticing the excited look in Pudding's eyes. "Don't you dare play on Pudding's feelings too! That's callous."

"I'm not playing on Pudding's feelings. It was just an option… I'm just trying to show you guys the positive side of all of this. You're so focused on the past and being angry with Kisshu that you aren't looking at the lighter side of the situation. I just want you to realize where I'm coming from and all the good that could come from this idea. Honestly, I'm not doing this to be selfish… Mint is right. I can't just abandon my responsibilities as a part of the Mew Mews. And I don't plan on it. So, even if you all disagree with me and decide to send Kisshu back to his planet, I promise I will always be part of this team. I will never give up being Mew Painappuru and fighting beside you all. Even if it means losing the person I love…" She ended her argument with a sigh and looked up at her teammates for their reactions. She was surprised to see them all have a look of uneasiness on their faces.

"You… You love me Painappuru?" a soft voice from behind her asked.

Painappuru's eyes widen and she gasped, her face flushing bright red.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

_**By the way, I've just uploaded the first chapters of three new stories! One is a Sailor Moon fanfic and the second is an Azumanga Daioh fanfic and the third is an Incredibles fanfic. So, if you're a fan, check them out please! **_

_**Mew Painappuru**_


	18. Chapter 18

**_princessmiddleast, thank you so much! I'll think of ideas for a sequel, but any and all ideas of yours are welcome. I can't wait to hear them! :) Hope Diamond, thanks for your support! It's nice to hear from you again! _**

Eighteen

Painappuru was stunned into silence. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond. Kisshu was not supposed to hear her emotional speech and plea to her friends. He wasn't supposed to hear her admit that she was in love with him. He was supposed to be sleeping upstairs in his cot, resting so he can regain his energy.

It wasn't that she didn't want Kisshu to know that she loved him. Of course she wanted him to know. But she had planned on telling him herself. And she had planned on telling him only when she was positive he felt the same way. She wanted to hear him say it first. She was afraid that if she told him first, he would get scared away because he didn't feel the same way. And she really didn't want to lose him. He meant too much to her.

By the shocked tone in his voice, Painappuru couldn't tell how Kisshu was feeling. She still didn't turn around, too nervous to look at him. Instead, she stared at her friends. Mint looked taken aback. Ichigo was wearing a smile that looked almost proud, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. Zakuro looked indifferent to the situation. Lettuce seemed cheerful, as if one of her romance novels was coming to life right in front of her eyes. Ryou had a grave expression on his face, his arms crossed across his chest. Pudding's eyes were shining with excitement. Keiichiro seemed to be interested in the whole situation, as if he was analyzing everyone's actions. Yuki Tora had an amused appearance about her. Kinezumi nodded at Painappuru, encouraging her to face Kisshu.

Painappuru knew she couldn't just stand there with her back to the alien forever. She _needed_ to tell him how she felt. Her eyes glimmered with tears as she slowly turned herself around. Her body quivered with nervousness. She never felt so strongly for someone. She never felt the need to be around someone all the time. She had never been so drawn to anyone. But could she really tell Kisshu all of that? Could she possibly pour out her whole heart to him? Would he accept her thoughts and feelings? What if he didn't feel the same? It would break her heart. When she looked into his golden eyes, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

His expression shifted from happy shock to concern. His face softened and his smile turned into a small frown. "Painappuru…" He stepped towards her. "Why are you crying?" When she didn't answer, he moved closer. "Did I do something? Are you crying because of _me_?" She still didn't reply so he moved so that he was next to her. He reached is arms out and she threw herself against his chest. He stroked her hair, comfortingly, and held her tightly. When he felt her murmur something into his chest, he lifted his face up and gave her a questioning look. "Speak up," he said softly. "What's the matter?"

"I… I didn't want you… It's…" she stumbled over her words, her nervousness getting the better of her.

Kisshu placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Calm down," he said in a soothing voice. "You can tell me anything."

Painappuru took a deep breath. Why was this so hard? She looked into those eyes that she found so enticing and felt warmness spread through her body. "I… I love you Kisshu… I didn't exactly want to tell you this way, but it's true. I love you…"

A bright red blush spread across Kisshu's face and he smiled at Painappuru. "Do you really?"

"You don't believe me?" Painappuru asked, her face flushing as well. What she had wanted to say was "Don't you feel the same? Why do you sound so shocked?" But she couldn't get the words out. Disappointment slowly started to fill her. She could already see Kisshu trying to reject her as sweetly as possible. Perhaps Mint was right. Maybe she was just a plaything…

"My little goat…" he whispered, bringing his face closer to hers. "My sweet Painappuru… I love you too…"

She gasped and broke out into a huge grin. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss, not caring that her friends were watching her. Kisshu wrapped his arms around her waist. Tears coursed down Painappuru's face and she felt like she was going to go mad with happiness. Nothing mattered anymore. Not the fight for Kisshu's right to stay. Not the monsters. Not her injuries. All the she cared about in this moment was that Kisshu loved her. She had heard him speak the words… He loved her. He loved her. He loved her. He loved her!

When Kisshu and Painappuru broke away from each other, Painappuru turned to her friends. She let out a small sigh and then gave them a sheepish smile. She brushed her blonde hair out of her face and then reached for Kisshu's hand. They grasped each other's hands, locking their fingers together. Kisshu looked down at Painappuru, pure adoration written on his face.

"All I can do is ask that you to consider my thoughts," Painappuru said, suddenly becoming very serious again and resuming the topic of Kisshu's stay on Earth. "I know I can't make any of you do anything." Her smile widened. "And I want you to all know that, no matter what the decision is, I love every single one of you. You are all my dearest friends and I will stick by whatever you choose. Good night." She and Kisshu walked out of the room and returned upstairs.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

_**Mew Painappuru**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**princessmiddleast, as always, thank you so much! You have no idea how much it means to me that you have stuck with this story since the very beginning and you always took the time to review my chapters. You are incredible! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Hope Diamond, here ya go! I hope you enjoy :) Nilla Mew Mew, wow! Your review put the biggest smile on my face! Thank you so much. I'm glad you've been enjoying this story and I hope that the rest of it will please you just as much :)**_

__Nineteen

All anyone could do was stare at each other for a few minutes. Painappuru's speech, as well as her unplanned confession of her feelings, had been emotional for everyone and they were afraid of how their choices would affect Kisshu and Painappuru. Keiichiro finally broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"We need to make a decision," he said. "I know it is a difficult thing to think about, but we must come to a conclusion."

"I want Kisshu to stay!" Pudding called out. "He and Painappuru are so happy. I don't want to see her sad because he can't be with her anymore." She gave a small yawn and rubbed her sleepy eyes. It had been a long day for her and she was ready for bed.

"I think Kisshu should stay as well," Ichigo said. "Kisshu has clearly changed. He deserves to have happiness, and being with Painappuru will bring that to him."

"Well, I still think that he needs to return to his home planet and leave Earth and all of us alone," Mint said stubbornly. "He will do nothing but cause problems here on Earth."

"I agree with Mint," Ryou said. "He'll be too much of a distraction for Painappuru. And if, for some reason, the people of his planet decide that they want to attack us again, he is their inside information."

"Saying Kisshu is a distraction to Painappuru is like saying Masaya is a distraction to Ichigo," Kinezumi argued. "If Painappuru can't have the one that she loves around, no one should be allowed to. Kisshu should stay."

"I don't know," Keiichiro said. "Ryou makes a strong argument. And trying to disguise Kisshu so that he fits in with the humans will take a lot of work, if it is even possible. I think I'm going to have to go against him."

Ichigo gasped. She thought for sure that Keiichiro would have been on her side. He was a bit of a romantic himself. She was so sure that Kisshu and Painappuru's little love story would have won him over. But it seemed her hopes were all in vain. He didn't want Kisshu here either.

"It just seems like too much of a liability," Lettuce said. She nervously, ran her fingers through her chartreuse green hair. "If the aliens decide to attack us again, they could use Kisshu as their double agent. Or, they could use Kisshu's residence on Earth as a reason to attack us."

Ichigo was shocked once again. Lettuce seemed so happy when Painappuru and Kisshu had admitted that they loved each other. Romance novels and movies were her guilty pleasure. She was finally getting the chance to see one play out right in front of her, and she was choosing to completely ruin the ending. Ichigo couldn't understand why Lettuce would choose to worry about the unlikely rather than be excited for her friend's happiness.

"As long as Pai stays quiet about us being there and everything that happened, there really should be no reason for them to want to randomly attack us," Yuki Tora reasoned. "Kisshu deserves a chance to prove to us that he has changed and that he really does love Painappuru. She trusts him and, as her friends, we should too."

Ichigo apprehensively flicked the golden bell on the necklace Masaya had given her about a year ago. It made a chimed softly and was slightly comforting to her. She didn't like the looks of the debate. The votes were tied with only one person, Zakuro, left to make the final decision. The red head sighed, realizing it was a lost cause. Zakuro had made it clear that she was against Kisshu living on Earth, so she was surely going to vote against him.

"You're the last to vote Zakuro," Keiichiro said. "What is your opinion?"

Zakuro looked around at her teammates. She knew everyone was holding their breath, anxiously awaiting her response. Although, she thought it was obvious the way she felt. She had made it apparent that she still disliked Kisshu and she felt uncomfortable with the thought of him living among her and the people he once wanted to destroy. It made her skin crawl to think of passing him by on the streets and trying to act like he was just a normal person. She had shuddered when Painappuru had admitted that she loved the alien and then proceeded to kiss him in front of her.

She was uneasy around Kisshu and was sure she always would be. She didn't forgive easily and he had done a lot to hurt her. She didn't trust him completely. There was just too much negativity piling up against Kisshu. Zakuro frowned and twirled a strand of her lilac hair around her index finger. With a sigh she turned to Keiichiro. Then she whispered her decision to him.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

_**Mew Painappuru**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Hope Diamond, Don't you just love suspense? :D Thanks for the review! princessmiddleast, Thank you so much! You're so sweet :) Nilla Mew Mew, just remember to breathe and keep reading! You'll find out all the answers with good time! **_

Twenty

Kisshu could barely sleep at all that night. There were too many emotions running through his mind. And all the thinking he did had made his stomach hurt, keeping him awake even more. The injury had started to pain him again, but he concluded that it was pain his imagination was making up, just to add to his stress. All night, he stared at Painappuru as she slept in the bed across the room. She had fallen asleep easily, so sure that she had managed to convince her friends to take her side. Kisshu, however, was not so confident.

The Mew Mews had every reason to hate him. He understood and accepted that. He had done terrible things to them in the past, especially Ichigo. And despite how much he tried to prove that he had changed and that he was different, he knew that it was, most likely, not going to be enough to sway them. He knew that they never wanted to see the green haired alien again, no matter how Painappuru felt for him. If he were in their position, he would have sent him back home too without a second thought.

Kisshu sighed as he saw the morning sun start to rise. The sky slowly went from black to early morning gray. He sluggishly sat up with his back against the wall. He watched the sun as it rose, changing the colors of the sky in the process. When the sun was finally in full position, Kisshu yawned. He was exhausted, but now it was just too bright to sleep. He glanced at Painappuru, knowing she would be waking up soon.

He climbed out of bed and walked over to her. He smiled at her sleeping figure and then kissed her forehead. Tears sprang to his eyes as he realized this was their last day together. He hoped that she would wake up before they ordered him back to his planet. He would hate himself if he left without saying goodbye to her.

Painappuru stirred in her sleep and Kisshu realized that she was starting to wake. He had become so familiar with the way she did everything after spending so much time alone with her. He had picked up on her little habits, like how she bit the inside of her cheek if she was bored, but she bit her bottom lip if she was nervous. She would stare at him and not say a word until he looked back at her if she thought he was upset. Sometimes, when she smiled, a little dimple would appear. When she was deep in thought, she would twirl her pony-tail. He chuckled at her little habits that he found so adorable.

When she finally opened her eyes, she groaned and turned away from him, burying her head in her blanket.

"Am I not the first thing you wanted to see when you wake up my dear?" Kisshu teased her, taking a seat on her bed.

The sound of his voice made her jump and her head popped out of the blankets. She looked over at Kisshu and her face broke into a smile. She sat up quickly and threw her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you. The sunlight was really bright. That's what made me turn over." She gave him a sweet peck on the cheek and beamed at him.

He laughed and pulled her into a close embrace. She buried her face into his chest, trying to get as close to him as she could. Kisshu wished he never had to let her go. He could happily stay there with her in his arms forever. He kissed the top of her head and she looked up at him. He winked at her then swiftly stole a kiss.

Painappuru giggled then untangled herself from him. She climbed out of bed and walked over to the bedroom door. She cracked it open and put her ear to the gap to hear who was downstairs. "Want to go downstairs?" she asked him. "I'm sure Keiichiro wouldn't mind making breakfast."

Kisshu gave her an uneasy half smile. He didn't want to go downstairs because he was afraid that as soon as he did, he would be ordered back to his home planet. He wasn't ready to let go of his little goat. But she seemed so optimistic that he couldn't refuse. He slid off her bed and followed her to the kitchen, where Keiichiro was already preparing for the day. Ryou was nowhere to be seen. Kisshu assumed he was down in the basement.

"Good morning Keiichiro!" Painappuru called as they walked into the kitchen.

Keiichiro greeted Painappuru warmly. When he looked at Kisshu, he's smile seemed to falter, but only for a split second. Then he said, "Good morning Kisshu," in his usual polite manner. He offered the pair each a bowl of scrambled eggs and they gratefully accepted.

As they ate, Keiichiro asked Painappuru how she was feeling and if her back injury was giving her any problems. She reported that she felt a hundred percent better and then proceeded to tell her boss about the strange dream she had that night involving an elevator made of gelatin. She seemed completely unfazed by the fact that she was soon going to find out that she would have to live the rest of her life without Kisshu. It was as if it was just an ordinary day.

Kisshu's chest and stomach ached and he found that he couldn't finish his breakfast. Suddenly, Painappuru's cheeriness was unpleasant to him. He couldn't stand to listen to her sound so vivacious while he was feeling so miserable. He wanted her to share his pain. He wanted tears in her eyes! But he realized such thoughts were selfish. Acting happy was her way of dealing with her sadness. She thought that if she acted like everything was alright, it would be. And as much as he wanted to mourn their demise with her, he didn't at the same time.

He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eight in the morning, meaning the other Mew Mews would be arriving at the café soon for work. He assumed that the news would be delivered once they were all present. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and ran his fingers through his dark green hair. He just stared at the door, waiting. He didn't even notice that Painappuru had stopped talking and was gazing at him.

"Kisshu," she said quietly. "Kisshu, it's alright."

He said nothing, just continued looking at the door. Painappuru gripped his hand, trying to be reassuring. He gently squeezed her hand, his silent way of telling her that he was scared. Having her next to him was a comfort, but knowing that it was the last time they would ever be together was ripping his heart into pieces, as if it was a mere sheet of paper. And when the girls started walking in, his heart sunk more and more.

Once all of the girls checked in, Painappuru left Kisshu's side to go change into her work uniform. Kisshu stared at the floor, listening to the sounds of the Mew Mews, Ryou, and Keiichiro preparing the café for opening. His ears drooped slightly from his dejected mood. When Painappuru came back, she placed a hand on his shoulder. He raised his head and smiled at the sight of her in her waitressing outfit.

"You look adorable," Kisshu gushed. He chuckled when her cheeks turned red.

"We'll be opening soon," she said in a quiet voice. "I think we're going to have a meeting first though."

His smile fell and he nodded sadly. "I figured as much."

She covered his hands with her small ones. "Everything is going to be ok. I promise. We'll work it all out."

"You're precious, Painappuru," he said with a weak smile. "I wish I had your optimism. But I have to look at things realistically. The chances of me staying is so slim, I just can't seem to muster up that kind of hope. I want, more than anything in the world, to be able to stay with you. But I really don't think that your teammates can ever forgive me for what I've done to them." Tears welled in his eyes and he heaved a heavy sigh.

Painappuru didn't respond. She just pulled Kisshu out of his chair and dragged him behind her as she walked. They went down into the basement, where they found Ryou, Keiichiro, Taruto and the other Mew Mews waiting for them.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Hooray! ;) Thanks for reading!**_

_**Mew Painappuru**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**Hope Diamond, here you go! Finally! The answer! I hope it pleases you :) denise, Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't an Ichigo X Kisshu story. However, I hope you continue to read and I hope you like it for what it is. Thank you for reading. Nilla Mew Mew, the suspense stops here! Isn't it so sad when Kisshu is sad? He's too cute to be sad! Let's hope he cheers up! princessmiddleast, don't fret! The solution has finally arrived! Enjoy!**_

Twenty-One

Ryou had his arms crossed at his chest and was leaning against the wall. There was an annoyed scowl on his face. Keiichiro looked like he was straining to smile. The Mew Mews each wore an unreadable expression. Taruto was clinging to Pudding's hand.

"Can we skip the melodrama?" Painappuru asked when she and Kisshu entered the room. "We all know what we are here for, so can we just say what was decided and get it over with?"

Ichigo opened her mouth to say something, but then quickly stopped herself. She was clearly trying to think about what she should say. After a few minutes, she finally spoke up. "You have to understand that our decision wasn't easy to make. And there will be consequences that you have to take responsibility for."

"Just get to it!" Painappuru cried.

Ichigo smiled at her friend's impatience. She turned to the alien. "Kisshu, you have a lot to prove to us. Your history with us is not good, at all, and I think you understand and accept that. However, we can see how much you mean to Painappuru, and it's obvious that you mean the world to her. And, therefore, we have decided to let you stay and live among us."

Painappuru screamed with joy and ran over to Ichigo. She hugged the Mew leader tightly, thanking her profusely. Then she moved on, embracing all the rest of her friends. Lettuce and Pudding hugged her back excitedly. Kinezumi and Yuki Tora cheered with her, squeezing Painappuru the tightest and longest. Mint's hug was stiff and forced, but Painappuru ignored the girl's attitude. Zakuro seemed slightly amused when it was her turn. Painappuru then moved on and pulled Keiichiro into a hug. The young man laughed and squeezed her back. The excited girl then ran to Ryou, but stopped in front him when she saw his sober face. She looked back at him with wide eyes that begged him to smile and say he was happy for her.

For a few seconds, he just stared at her. Neither of them said a word or moved. They just continued to gaze at one another. Ryou gave a small sigh and finally uncrossed his arms. "It's very clear to _all_ of us how much you care about Kisshu. And we want to see you happy. However, I swear to you, if he does _anything_ to hurt or upset you, I guarantee that we will _all_ tear him apart."

Painappuru grinned at Ryou's protective nature. She knew how hard it was for him to allow Kisshu to stay and so it meant so much to her that he was allowing it. She wiped a tear away and wrapped her arms around Ryou. She whispered, "Thank you," and then released him. She was pleased to see him smiling. Then she turned away from Ryou, grinned at Kisshu, and ran to him.

He opened his arms and caught her, lifting her into the air and spinning her then he pulled her close to him. She buried her face in his shoulder. She suddenly felt warmness spread throughout her whole body and tears trickled down her face. The unexplainable happiness she felt was overwhelming. She just wanted to stay in Kisshu's arms forever. When she finally looked him in the face, she saw that tears had formed in his amber eyes as well. She tangled her fingers in his dark green hair and covered his mouth with her own. And when she finally pulled away, they both let out a content sigh. Kisshu gently set her back on the ground, but he kept his arms tightly around her.

"And you thought they wouldn't let you stay," Painappuru teased.

"How stupid of me," he laughed. "I'll never doubt you or your friends again."

"You better not," she said with a cheeky grin. "I don't want you to think you're going to lose me again."

"No, no, no my sweet little goat. I'll never _have_ to worry about losing you again because I'm never letting you go ever again." He pulled her even closer to him and pressed his face into her hair. "I'm never letting you go again." He lifted his head up again and looked into her eyes. "I will be here for you no matter what. I will always be by your side. I'll prove myself to you. I swear to you. Anything you want, I'll do everything in my power to give it to you. I love you…"

Painappuru placed her hand on his cheek and whispered, "I know… I love you too." She then turned around to face her friends. "Thank you so much you guys. This means everything to me and I don't know how I can ever thank you enough. We'll prove to you that you made the right choice."

"_I'll_ prove to you that you made the right choice," Kisshu corrected her.

"You both have Zakuro to thank," Keiichiro said. "She made the final vote that decided it all."

Painappuru grinned at Zakuro. "Thank you so much Zakuro. I'll never be able to repay you, but I'll do everything I can."

Zakuro shook her head and smiled back. "There's no need. You're my friend and I want to see you happy. And despite all the troubles that Kisshu has caused for us, it really does seem that he is trying to change because he really does seem to care about you. Love always prevails and if we didn't allow him to stay now, you probably would have found a way to get him to stay later."

Painappuru laughed and nodded her head. "That sounds like me…"

"I just hope it's worth it," Ryou added.

"It will be!" Painappuru said excitedly.

"Now," Keiichiro said, turning to Kisshu and sounding serious again, "there are a few things we need to discuss. Kisshu, Painappuru mentioned two ideas when she made her case last night that we are actually very interested in. The first concerns your friend, Taruto. Painappuru proposed the idea of Taruto living with you, posing as your brother. We've already talked to Taruto and he would be interested in the idea if you are."

Kisshu glanced at the little alien, who smiled innocently. Kisshu noticed that Taruto was still holding Pudding's hand. Pudding was beaming happily and he could tell that the thought of Taruto staying on Earth excited her. He could practically see the sparks flying between the two kids. They may be young, but it was obvious that there was a tiny flicker of love dancing between them. After being given the chance to be with the person he loved, he couldn't deny the same opportunity to someone else. "Of course Tart may stay with me," Kisshu replied.

Pudding squealed in delight and threw her arms around Taruto, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Oh Taru Taru, I'm so happy! We'll play together all the time and we're going to have so much fun!"

Keiichiro grinned at the children's joy. "Wonderful. In that case, you and Taruto may stay here until we find a place for the two of you to stay. However, Kisshu, you are going to have to get a job so that you can afford to keep the place. If you are going to live among the humans, you are going to have to act like a human. That means getting a job and earning a paycheck. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Kisshu said with a nod of his head. "I'll start looking immediately."

"This also means that you will both have to start attending school." Taruto groaned but Keiichiro ignored it. "Lettuce and Ryou have agreed to help me work on creating a potion that will give the illusion that you are both humans. Only those who know who you really are will be able to see your true form. This should make your stay here easier.

"Now, when Painappuru was making her case to keep you here, she suggested that you could help us figure out who has been attacking us. It is obvious that it is some sort of alien that has been sending these creatures to Earth. They slightly resemble the Chimera Anima that you used to use, but they're obviously not Chimera Animas and we've seen no trace of any of your kind during the assaults. So we're not sure who it is and we need all the help we can get."

"I understand," Kisshu said. "I'll do everything I can to help you figure out who your assailant is."

"Thank you Kisshu," Keiichiro said. "Now, the last thing we need to discuss is getting Painappuru home." He smiled at the blonde. "You're parent's think that you have been kidnaped and have had the police searching for you. So, we need to fabricate a story that explains your disappearance."

Painappuru nodded. "Well… let's start imagining!" She laughed, pulling Kisshu close. He kissed her cheek and the group began brainstorming ideas that would put the girl's parents at ease and help her return to her normal life.

The End

_**Well faithful readers, there you have it. The ending of the story. I hope it satisfies everyone! Now, I have been considering a sequel, only because princessmiddleast suggested it. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but I'm still a bit unsure. If you have any ideas, please let me know! Thank you so much for sticking with this story to the very end. It means so much to me. **_

_**Mew Painappuru**_


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